Europe's major rivers almost dry: "Shocking"

 

Henrik Samuelsson/TT

 

Published 06:00Updated 06:35

 

A nearly dry marina on the Danube, in Petrovaradin, Serbia. Photo: Darko Vojinovic/AP/TT

Nuclear reactors are shut down, cargo barges are stuck and tourists eager to swim are met with gawks. For the third time in a decade, the levels of the Danube, Rhine and other major rivers are extremely low.

- The summer season is already over when it comes to boat trips, says houseboat owner Radovan Segrt.

The AP news agency has spoken to Segrt and other residents of Budapest, where the Danube's level is now one decimeter below 2018, the previous record for low water.

- The river has retreated 15 to 20 meters from the shoreline, says Segrt, who usually arranges boat trips for tourists.

Long-term droughts have had the same effects on the Danube and Rhine. And in addition to tourism, these giant rivers are economic lifelines for shipping.

– The big things in terms of volume are raw materials, oil, iron ore, coal, grain, says Johan Woxenius, professor of maritime transport economics and logistics at the School of Economics at the University of Gothenburg.

Big harvest time

But now things are going on a low note. According to the German news site DW, some barges only dare to take 15 to 20 percent of their usual cargo, for fear of otherwise running aground. Capacity is therefore collapsing, and prices are soaring, at the same time as it is the peak season for many goods.

– Grain probably needs a lot of shipping capacity. It is the big harvest time now, says Woxenius.

The problem comes during dry summers, i.e. a smaller part of the year. This makes it difficult to make a profit in building up alternatives, says Woxenius.

– But if I were a logistician or ran a shipping company, it would have been difficult to turn a blind eye to the fact that this will happen again, probably more often.

– We have seen it in 2018, 2022 and 2026. Those are quite frequent intervals.

Media estimates that the problem could even lower this quarter's GDP in Germany, which is Europe's largest economy.

– They have a lot of infrastructure in Germany along the rivers. It is natural that both motorways and railways run there, says Woxenius.

Triggered by climate change

In Budapest, AP photographer Gábor Kertész meets, who documents that the foundations of the famous Margaret Bridge in the Danube are now dry.

– It is shocking to see the difference between then and now, he says.

– This must have been triggered by climate change.

Further south, the same river forms the border between Romania and Bulgaria. Fishermen there tell the AFP news agency that there is so little water that it is possible to wade between the countries.

Children who try to swim barely get their feet wet.

“It’s like quicksand!” shouts a boy as he walks along the jagged shoreline.

In both Romania and Hungary, nuclear reactors depend on cooling water from the Danube. Several of them have reduced production or been shut down completely.

Facts

Europe’s largest rivers

In terms of water flow, Europe’s largest river is the Volga, but it only flows through Russia.

For the rest of Europe, the Danube and the Rhine are first and second. The Danube flows from southern Germany to the Black Sea – through or along the border with Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine in turn.

The Rhine flows from the Alps to the North Sea. It partially forms the border between Germany and Switzerland, as well as between Germany and France. It also flows in or near the Netherlands and Liechtenstein.

The water flow in the large rivers normally amounts to several thousand cubic meters every second.