Levente Kardos: Wastewater and sewage sludge
The 861 sources monitored by the Environmental Inspectorates have discharged into surface waters 713 million m
3
of wastewater in 2002, of which 231 million m
3
received no treatment at all. The quantity of sewage treated on a biological stage with the desirable efficiency was 278 million m
3
only. Besides Budapest, the largest wastewater quantities were discharged into surface water in the counties Pest and Fejér.
Of the wastewater produced in the catchments of the major streams, 44.1%, or 314 million m
3
were released directly to the Danube, 182 million m
3
without any treatment.
The wastewater load on the Danube tributaries was 68 million m 3 .
The direct discharges to the River Tisza amounted to 38.6 million m
3
(2.4 million m
3 untreated), or 5.4 % of the total discharge to surface water. The wastewater load on the tributaries was 50.1 million m
3
.
The quality of the 68 million m
3
(9.5 %) wastewater discharged to the Körös river network was controlled by the 17 million m
3
release from the industrialised fish farms.
A survey of the organic pollutant loads (CODp) in the main catchments has revealed that
74 113 tons (64.1 %) were discharged directly to the Danube.
Of the organic pollutants 8.5 % were discharged to the River Tisza directly in 2002, while the load on the tributaries was also a heavy one, 5.7 % (6553 tons).
Communal sewage treatment plants and public sewers will be seen to have discharged the bulk (499 million m
3
, or 69.9 %) of the effluents and also of the organic pollutants (94
746 tons/a, or 81.9 %).
Wastewater drained and pollutant loads in the main catchments
Wastewater drained and pollutant loads in the main catchments (2002)
Duna
Dráva
Tisza
Total:
Catchment
Sewage discharged to surface water
(million m 3 /year)
Loads of pollutions
(t/a)
Un-
Total treated
Primary only
Primary Primary
+ + part- full bio- logical bio- logical
COD
Cr
TDS
NH
4
-
N
TSS
Extract- ables
489,8 198,6 57,1 88,3 145,8 89452 270866 7055 35418 6116
199,2 30,3 22,4 32,5 113,9 24747 175623 2044 12731 1397
24,2 2,0 0,08 3,7 18,4 1453 26801 130 871 57.4
713,2 231,0 79,6 124,5 278,1 115652 473290 9229 49020 7570

Treatment of wastewater discharged into surface waters by countries