The Wider Image: 'I want to breed horses, not camels': Hungarian farmers battle 'historic' drought
Csaba Toldi, the leader of a local water retention group, inspects a temporary dam, in Jaszszentlaszlo, Hungary, July 21, 2022. The mayors of Jaszszentlaszlo, two neighbouring villages and local farmers banded together five years ago to block hundreds of kilometres of channels criss-crossing their land in order to retain rainwater. The plan violated an old law that says the channels must be kept open to drain excess rainwater, but the farmers said they had the tacit approval of the authorities. "They see that the situation is dire... and they tolerate the rule-breaking because they see our results," said Toldi. But this year's drought has finally scuppered the project. Winter and spring rains mostly failed, leaving water only in the one channel at Jaszszentlaszlo, but that too had run dry by May. REUTERS/Marton Monus SEARCH “MONUS HUNGARY DROUGHT" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES