Baking temperatures and drought across much of central and eastern Europe have pushed water levels on the Danube and Rhine rivers to record lows in some areas, severely affecting shipping, energy production, and tourism.
The extreme conditions, made worse by the climate crisis, have left Europe’s waterways from the Netherlands to the Black Sea parched, triggering a cascade of problems.
For the first time ever, Hungary and Romania had to shut down nuclear reactors that are normally cooled by the Danube.
Hungary’s largest nuclear power plant, the 44-year-old Paks facility, which provides nearly half of the country’s electricity, has been reducing output since Monday.
The prime minister, Pรฉter Magyar, said the Paks plant was running at less than 50% capacity and was expected to be completely shut down next week. The shutdown could last for weeks, as Danube water levels are expected to stay too low to restart it.
“An energy crisis situation could arise beginning Monday,” he posted on X. “Coordinated steps and restraint will be needed to avoid more severe consequences. We are counting on everyone!”
He also mentioned that a malfunction at Hungary’s largest gas-fired power plant in Szรกzhalombatta was making the grid shortage worse.
Hungarian authorities have asked citizens to cut back on energy use during peak evening hours, including avoiding charging electric vehicles and turning off air conditioners. Carmakers and battery manufacturers have been told to reduce their power and water consumption.
In Romania, authorities shut down a reactor unit at the Cernavodฤ power plant earlier in the week for safety reasons and announced that a second one would be switched off soon after. Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said the shutdowns could last one to two weeks and also urged Romanians to use less electricity in the evenings.
The Danube, which flows through 10 countries, has dropped to unprecedented lows in some areas, exposing rocks, old shipwrecks, a World War II bomb, and even the remains of an ancient woolly mammoth.
A resident of Ryahovo village in northern Bulgaria found the bones of the giant ice age animal on the riverbed, and specialists from the Regional History Museum in the nearby town of Ruse came to examine the rare discovery.
Last week, authorities in Budapest closed the Margaret Bridge after a wartime bomb was uncovered at its base due to falling water levels.
The record low level of the Danube has forced Budapest cruise ships to dock upriver and sightseeing cruises to be cancelled. Cargo ship operations have nearly come to a halt, according to Hungary’s ministry of transport and investment.
The river is expected to drop even further in the coming days, with no significant rain forecast and temperatures expected to exceed 38ยฐC across the region.
From Slovakia and Hungary to Romania and Bulgaria further east, ships on the Danube were unable to travel fully loaded and faced long delays.
At the Vidin-Calafat Bridge connecting Bulgaria and Romania, Bulgarian fishermen said they were out of work because the low water levels had left their boats stranded onshore.
“It’s never dried up this much before,” Rossen Dobrev, a fisher, told Agence France-Presse.”Now we can even walk all the way to Romania.”
Water levels on the Rhine in Germany also dropped to near record lows on Friday, according to the country’s WSV navigation agency, due to a heatwave and prolonged dry weather. The shallow water has forced cargo ships to reduce their loads to about 20% of normal capacity.
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Three former vessels, including a sailing ship and an eel-fishing boat, connected by a bridge and now serving as a cafe at the old confluence of the Wupper and the Rhine.
The Rhine is a vital shipping route for grains, minerals, ores, coal, and oil products, including petrol, which could create bottlenecks for companies in the EU’s largest economy.
Dutch officials reported that the Rhine had fallen to its lowest recorded level at the point where it enters the Netherlands, and it was expected to drop even further.
The Netherlands has faced an officially recognized water shortage since mid-July, leading to usage restrictions across most of the country, especially in farming.
In Serbia, hundreds of small boats and dozens of cargo ships were stranded on the dried-up riverbank near the northern city of Novi Sad.
Radovan Segrt, a houseboat owner who runs river excursions, told the Associated Press that the water in the Danube had receded about 15 to 20 meters from its shore. “The summer season is over now, as far as boat riding is concerned,” he said.
Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press, and Reuters contributed to this report.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs based on the topic ranging from beginner to advanced
General Background
1 Why are Europes rivers drying up
The main cause is a combination of severe drought and extreme heat waves which have been made more frequent and intense by climate change There has also been less winter snow and rain to feed the rivers
2 Is this a new problem or has it happened before
While rivers have had low levels in the past the current situation is unprecedented in modern history The severity and the speed at which the water levels are dropping are directly linked to recent climate patterns
3 Which rivers are affected the most
Some of the most affected include the Rhine the Danube the Po and the Loire
Economic Energy Concerns
4 How does a driedup river affect my electricity bill
Many European countries rely on rivers for hydroelectric power and for cooling nuclear power plants When water levels drop these plants have to reduce output or shut down This reduces the electricity supply which drives up energy prices for everyone
5 Why is the Rhine River so important for the economy
The Rhine is a major shipping highway for goods like coal chemicals and grain When it gets too shallow cargo ships can only carry a fraction of their normal load This makes transporting goods more expensive and slows down supply chains
6 What does lost income mean in this context
It refers to the money lost by businesses that depend on the rivers This includes shipping companies farmers who use river water for irrigation factories that need water for production and the tourism industry
Historical Environmental Discoveries
7 What is the woolly mammoth part about
As water levels drop they reveal things that have been hidden at the bottom of rivers for thousands of years In some cases this includes the bones and tusks of prehistoric animals like woolly mammoths that died near the river long ago
8 Are these discoveries a good thing
For scientists its a unique opportunity to study the past However its a bittersweet discovery because it only happens due to a severe ecological crisis It also poses a risk of looting as people try to take these ancient artifacts
