14 municipalities were awarded within the framework of the LIFE LOGOS 4 WATERS project’ s Muncipial Support Programme
The Municipal Support Programme encouraging climate adaptation and natural water retention ended successfully
Nowadays, adaptation to climate change and water retention have become a social and economic priority. Not only our grandchildren’s future, but also our children’s future is threatened by the extreme water scarcity caused by climate change, which we all experienced during this summer.
The support program was launched by the project coordinated by the Ministry of the Interior to raise awareness of the importance of water, its role in adapting to climate change, the importance of water retention and promoting a water means value approach. The Programme has provided a unique opportunity for Hungarian local governments in Hungary. Municipalities could apply with innovative and novel ideas to promote adaptation to climate change and water retention through local, small-scale interventions. The aim of the programme – in addition to supporting the implementation of investments – was to raise awareness of the benefits of small-scale, nature-based, cost-effective solutions and to highlight the success of measures based on wide stakeholder participation and the involvement of local communities.
Municipalities could apply for a minimum gross grant of 700 000 Ft and a maximum gross grant of 3 500 000 Ft, within the budget of the LIFE LOGOS 4 WATERS project, for a total amount of 100 000 Euro. A total of 86 applications were received from 36 municipalities, 6 large municipalities, 28 towns, 8 cities with county rights and 8 capital districts.
Territorial distribution of municipalities in the Municipal Programme
The high level of interest was matched by quality applications. Municipalities submitted a number of excellent ideas for solutions to the call. Some of these were: the creation of rain gardens, log dams, stormwater ponds for rainwater collection, and the provision of rainwater collection containers for the population. These improvements will also be presented in a collection of “good practices” under the project.
It also shows that local leaders have recognised the consequences of the negative impacts of climate change and they can see their role in mitigation and adaptation. We believe that this is not only a task for local governments, but also an opportunity for them to develop more liveable and resilent settlements, , whose population attractiveness and retention capacity can be affected by measures. Natural water retention solutions also bring a number of co-benefits (e.g. erosion control, soil protection, creation and preservation of natural habitats, microclimate regulation, and creation of recreational opportunities) to a settlement’s life.
The technical evaluation process of the proposals contributed the partner organisations involved in the LIFE LOGOS 4 WATERS project, at the end of which the winners were chosen by the Integrated Support Council composed of the professional organisations cooperating in the project.
A total of 14 municipalities were eligible for funding from the LIFE LOGOS 4 WATERS project budget (€100 000).
| Name of winning municipality | Activity supported (climate adaptation, water conservation) | Amount of aid awarded | |
| 1. | Municipality of Bezi | Purchase of rainwater storage tank, utilization, afforestation | 959 660 Ft |
| 2. | Budapest Municipality of the XVII. district of Rákosmente | Development of a rain garden (on private property, in the area of an educational institution, public space) | 3 167 277 Ft |
| 3. | Municipality of Bugacpusztaháza | Purchase of rainwater storage tank, utilisation, afforestation | 1 835 875 Ft |
| 4. | Municipality of Csömör | Rehabilitation of the landscape along the stream and construction of a log dam, drainage | 3 500 000 Ft |
| 5. | Municipality of Füzérradvány | Benjes hedge construction for erosion control | 3 498 000 Ft |
| 6. | Municipality of Gyenesdiás | Gyenesdiás Municipality Acquisition of a rainwater storage tank and promotion of backyard vegetable gardening | 3 500 000 Ft |
| 7. | Municipality of Halastó | Stream rehabilitation in flash flood affected area | 3 500 000 Ft |
| 8. | Municipality of Hosszúhetény | Complex water retention interventions to keep rainwater in place | 3 492 500 Ft |
| 9. | Municipality of Perőcsény | Management of positive and negative impacts due to the presence of beavers | 2 392 000 Ft |
| 10. | Municipality of Pomáz | Complex water retention interventions to keep rainwater in place | 1 810 000 Ft |
| 11. | Municipality of Pusztaszentlászló | Purchase and use of a rainwater storage tank | 3 305 500 Ft |
| 12. | Municipality of Szada | Creation of rain garden (on private property, on the grounds of an educational establishment, a public education establishment, in public spaces) | 3 325 000 Ft |
| 13. | Municipality of Szokolya | Greening of the courtyard of the House of Culture, creation of a water catchment system, improvement of the microclimate | 2 191 000 Ft |
| 14. | Municipality of Tata | Creation of rain gardens for water conservation in public spaces | 2 755 000 Ft |
The popularity of the application proves that this type of more flexible funding, even if it is small-scale, is a great opportunity for local governments to take action to mitigate and adapt to the negative impacts of climate change.
On 20 September 2022, the award ceremony of the LIFE LOGOS 4 WATERS project’s Municipal Support Programme “In cooperation for climate-conscious river basinmanagement” took place in Budapest, where the awards were presented to the representatives of the winning municipalities by Dr. Miklós Dukai, State Secretary for Municipality of the Ministry of the Interior, and Lajos Kovács, President of the Climate Friendly Municipalities Association.
More pictures of the event can be found in the website’s Gallery page.
Photos by Péter Marosfalvi
