The Élő Duna project is currently the largest environmental investment to be implemented in Europe by 2010 (enviroduna)

From the 790 thousand households of Budapest, approximately 600 thousand cubic meters of wastewater is discharged into the Danube every day. Only less than 50 % of this amount is treated biologically with the present capacity of the capital’s wastewater treatment plants. Taking into account the amount of rainwater, it can be concluded that the larger proportion of wastewater is discharged into the river without biological treatment. This is not only a significant environmental load, but also has public health effects on the life of citizens living in the capital and along the banks of the Danube.

The Central Wastewater Treatment Plant will provide an answer to these problems, which, along with the necessary facilities, will be built by 2009 on Csepel Island. With the implementation of this environmental super-project with a budget of €529,1 million (of which €428,7 million was acknowledged to be cost by the EU Commission) and €304,7 million in support from the Cohesion Fund, Budapest – converging to numerous other European cities – will also have the capacity suited to manage the wastewater treatment services of the city with a population of 1,8 million.