Duna Dunaszekcső

At kilometre 1460, on the right bank, Dunaszekcső lies in Baranya county, where the hills end above the river in a tall loess bluff. The Danube water level at Dunaszekcső is measured from a zero at 79.92 metres above sea level; the Danube Commission puts the low-water mark (LDC) at 128 centimetres and the high-water mark (HDC) at 814. At 15:00 on 24 October 2026 the reading was -13 centimetres — 141 below the LDC and 827 below the HDC.

The Gauge Zero and the Dry Years

The zero is a fixed reference, not the level the river normally holds. At 900 centimetres the water reaches 88.92 metres above sea level, and above that mark the buildings, institutions and holiday homes in the low part of the village are in danger; the third-degree flood defence is declared at 900 as well. In 2018 the Dunaszekcső water level had fallen to 48 centimetres, and in 2022 to 55. The summer of 2026 fell below both: in early August the water directorate for southern Transdanubia reported a level 52 centimetres below the 2018 record, and on 10 October the reading reached -31. The river then rose to 11 centimetres on 21 October, only to fall back to -13 on the 24th.

The Loess Bank Falling into the Danube

The high bank is not stable. On the night of 11 to 12 February 2008, 270 metres of the loess cliff collapsed: a block of 500,000 cubic metres dropped six metres, one of the four holiday homes gave way, and its ruins were dragged 20 metres. Navigation and anchoring were banned in a 50-metre strip along the right bank. By April 2011 the crack had reached 600 metres; three houses were cleared and 17 more were at risk. The cliff has been protected since 1998, rises 60 metres above the water and rests on the site of the Roman fort of Lugio.

The Floods and the Neighbours

The gauge's absolute record is 1,064 centimetres, in March 1956, when ice breached the embankment in 14 places and flooded 167 houses. The highest ice-free flood came in 1965, at 992 centimetres; the 2013 crest followed on 12 June at 977. In 2006 the peak was 937, on 8 April, and in September 2024 it reached 904. The 2013 and 2024 peaks are 73 centimetres apart. Nineteen kilometres upstream, the Baja gauge shows what is coming down to the village; 14 kilometres downstream, the Mohács gauge closes this stretch of the river.