“Municipality of Debrecen, as the operator of the Environmental Monitoring System, monitors all activities affecting the environment within the city in cooperation with the authorities,” the city administration said, likely in response to Monday’s statement by Mikepércsi Anyák.
As previously reported, the civil organization and Greenpeace Hungary, citing laboratory tests, claimed they had found traces of industrial pollution near the Semcorp Hungary Kft. site following an incident when firefighters were deployed in large numbers to the factory.
Below is a summary of the municipality’s statement:
The surface rainwater drainage system in the Southern Economic Zone was designed with safety in mind so that it can be closed if necessary, allowing authorities to keep any discharged rainwater under control.
Two buffer reservoirs, each with a capacity of 1,000 cubic meters, have been built in the northern and southern parts of the industrial area. In the event of contamination, these reservoirs can retain large amounts of rainwater, preventing pollutants from reaching natural waterways. They also allow for the removal and safe disposal of contaminated water. Following the incident at the Debrecen plant of Semcorp Hungary on 18 February 2026, the system was closed and has remained closed since.
The “Green Sentinel” monitoring station near the Southern Economic Zone is located outside the industrial area, along the Tócó stream. It did not detect any abnormal values during the incident, indicating that no pollutants reached the stream. The possible involvement of the Kondoros Canal is currently under official investigation.
A report of possible contamination in the rainwater drainage system was received on 19 February 2026 at 9:45 a.m. The municipality conducted an on-site inspection, during which foam was observed on the surface of the water in the drainage ditch.
Authorities, including the water management and water protection departments of the government office and the Tiszántúli Water Directorate, were immediately notified. At the same time, physical containment measures were implemented on both sides of the affected canal section to localize the suspected pollution. An official investigation is ongoing.
The Municipality of Debrecen emphasized that it will continue to closely monitor economic activities in industrial areas and expects full compliance with regulations from all operators. In case of violations, the strictest legal sanctions may be applied.
