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Europe's rivers are drying up: These are the consequences

2026-08-09 15:26:34Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Europe's rivers are drying up: These are the consequences
The water level in the Rhine River has dropped significantly.

The Rhine and Danube have reached historically low levels. The water shortage is harming nature and the economy. It also endangers groundwater, drinking water and important ecosystems along the rivers.

Rivers across Europe are running low on water. The Rhine, Danube and Po are at historically low levels. These rivers are vital for freight transport, agriculture and water supply. The situation is dramatic.

Along the Danube, cargo and tourist ships can no longer sail in some areas. In Hungary, Romania and Croatia, long-sunken ships and vehicles have surfaced from the dried-up riverbed.

According to the official low water information system (Niwis), only 2.4 percent of the Danube's measuring points do not record low water levels.

At the Rhine measuring station in Kaub, western Germany, a record of just 24 centimeters was measured. In the coming days, the level could drop to 17 centimeters.

In many places along the riverbed, such as in Cologne and Düsseldorf, people can now walk where strong water currents usually flow.

The water crisis is being worsened by global warming, caused by the burning of coal, oil and gas.

Nature is also suffering. This could increase the costs of clean drinking water and have other serious consequences.

Consequences for nature

In Spain, France, Italy, Germany and Eastern Europe, the ongoing drought will cost farmers millions of hectares of grain crops.

Parched fields, crop failure, and dried-up riverbeds are among the most visible consequences of drought.

However, it is not only the economy that suffers, but also entire ecosystems.

The problem is that the water remaining in rivers warms up too much, holds less oxygen and can cause mass fish kills, explains Jeanette Volker, a scientist at the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA).

"Especially on the Rhine, you can see how the gravel banks are drying up. They are habitats for mussels and invertebrates, which serve as food for fish. This drying up represents a huge burden. The mussels cannot move away quickly and die."

Drought, strong solar radiation and high concentrations of nutrients from agricultural fertilizers also promote massive algae growth.

This was also seen in 2022 in the Oder River in eastern Germany. Due to high temperatures, low water levels and the influence of salt water, a non-native toxic algae bloom spread there with dramatic consequences: entire sections of the German-Polish border river were filled with dead fish. Around 1,000 tons of fish died.

However, according to experts, there is currently still enough oxygen in the Rhine, so a similar disaster is not expected in the near future.

What does dried reed have to do with the price of drinking water?

The Rhine and Danube are fed by many secondary rivers. Current views of the long sandy beaches along the Rhine also show how serious the situation is in its tributaries. These are particularly important for the supply of drinking water, because their banks are often still covered with vegetation.

Europe's rivers are drying up: These are the consequences
The wreck of a World War II ship discovered in the Danube River in Serbia as a result of drought and falling water levels in the river.

"We depend on this river water. A large part of our drinking water is the so-called coastal filter," explains Hagen Koch, a researcher in climate resilience and adaptation at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

"This means that at a certain distance from the river or lakes there are drinking water wells. Water is pumped there that has been passing through the ground for months until it reaches the well."

This means that the reeds and soil layers naturally filter the water.

At the same time, according to Volker, pollutant concentrations increase because almost the same amounts of wastewater from treatment plants or industry are discharged into less water.

"If the ecosystem is damaged, that is, the animals and plants that contribute to water purification, this brings significant additional costs. Providing water for millions of people requires more purification processes," says Koch.

Climate change and damaged ecosystems are making drinking water treatment more expensive. Industry associations estimate that costs could increase by up to 30 percent.

Additional investments of 3 to 14 billion euros could be needed by 2035. These include higher costs for water treatment, deeper pipelines, and better-insulated tanks, which keep water at low temperatures and limit microbial growth.

There are legal exemptions for many sectors, including mining and agriculture. In many regions, they use water without paying the corresponding fees.

In many German cities, authorities have significantly restricted the extraction of water from streams and rivers for private use. The city of Cologne banned the extraction of water from all 24 branches of the Rhine within its urban area in June. Violations can be punished with fines of up to 50,000 euros.

The economy is also suffering from low water levels

Low water levels in German rivers are already causing major damage to the economy.

Some ships are sailing with only a fifth of their usual load. This is delaying production and raising prices. In Germany, the steel, chemical and petroleum industries are particularly affected. The low water level is also increasingly endangering energy supplies.

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar last week urged citizens and businesses to save electricity. The country is facing an unprecedented energy crisis due to the risk of shutting down the Paks nuclear power plant due to low Danube levels.

Romania blasts rocks: What really helps against falling water levels?

Politicians are trying to respond with short-term measures. In Romania, the army blew up a rock in a branch of the Danube to secure the supply of cooling water for the Cernavoda nuclear power plant. Due to the lack of cooling water, the plant was in danger of going out of operation.

The German Federal Minister of Transport has invited representatives of industry, ports and river transport to a conference in Bonn. The focus is on short-term and long-term solutions. The deepening of the Rhine's navigable bed in the most critical areas is also being discussed to maintain river transport even during periods of low water.

Environmental organizations have called for protests against further excavations in the Rhine.

“These are short-term measures that bring little benefit in the long term.” According to critics, one must ask whether these are just symbolic actions that sometimes bring little results or may even have negative consequences in the future. They point out that little attention is still paid to climate protection.

Critics warn that deepening the floating beds could accelerate water runoff, lower groundwater levels and cause floodplains to dry out more quickly. They call for the use of ships specially designed for low water levels and a shift in freight transport to rail. Hagen Koch also supports the use of ships with a shallower draft, but notes that this requires high investment and a long implementation time.

For Jeanette Volker, there is no other alternative but to partially undo the artificial interventions that have directed and channeled rivers, so that more water can be retained in the landscape. More attention should also be paid to the peripheral areas of large rivers.

It is especially important to preserve wetlands, restore moisture in marshes and rehabilitate rivers near watercourses to improve the water balance in the landscape. This can also help the Rhine level to benefit during periods of drought.

Looking at current developments, Koch also recommends considering the construction of reservoirs and dams where this is ecologically acceptable.

Ultimately, climate protection remains crucial. Without it, many investments could be, figuratively speaking, just a drop of water on a hot rock./ DW


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