The Hungarian Armed Forces will distribute drinking water in 123 towns from January 1, 2013, Maj.-Gen. László Domján, the Commander of the HDF Joint Force Command said on December 27 at a press conference in Csongrád County.

He stated that 250 soldiers had been appointed to these tasks, with 150 million forints earmarked in the Government’s budget. According to plans, voluntary reservists would also join the team from April 2013. The Hungarian military will distribute clean water in municipalities here arsenic levels are above EU limits. The Armed Forces, in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior and local authorities, have determined the list of municipalities that require help, although this may change if they succeed in resolving the problem individually. Most of the affected towns and villages are found in Bács-Kiskun, Csongárd and Békés counties.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has previously developed water purification and arsenic removal equipment based on new patents. The recent innovations include a bus that may also be deployed in extreme circumstances. For experimental purposes, one such machine was installed on the water base at Érmellék, Békés County, and after a four-month trial, the average arsenic level of 120 micrograms/liter was reduced to two micrograms.

(Ministry of Defence)