Problems
Drought hotspot on the Rhine River
Europe is suffering from heat and drought, which is affecting water levels in rivers. This includes the Rhine, Europe's most important inland waterway. Europe's mightiest river is drying up amid record heat waves, causing navigation problems and exacerbating the continent's energy problems. The historic low was recorded last August, near the village of Lobit. The previous record of 6.49 meters was recorded in October 2018. The normal summer water level in this location is about 8.70 meters above sea level. It usually drops to its lowest levels in the fall, when meltwater no longer flows into the river from the Alps, but the Rhine has now partially dried up ahead of schedule.
Reasons for the shallowing of the Rhine River
The reason for such low water levels in the Rhine is the hot and dry weather. Hydrological drought occurs when water supplies in sources such as aquifers, lakes, and reservoirs fall below the threshold level needed to sustain vegetation for a region. Hydrologic drought tends to occur more slowly because it is associated with stored water that is used but not replenished. In the case of the Rhine River, the lack of precipitation is to blame. Germany's Federal Institute of Hydrology has warned that water levels in Central European rivers are at an "unusually low" level and continue to fall.
Consequences of the Environmental Hotspot on the Rhine River
Most of the 800-mile-long Rhine runs through Germany, Europe's largest economy, but the river also flows through Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, as well as along the border between France and Germany. Therefore, the effects of the draining of the Rhine River are affecting many countries, but Germany is suffering the most. In Germany, for example, the drop in water levels in the Rhine River due to the heat wave has led to higher shipping costs - about €94 per tonne, from the level of €20 per tonne in June 2022. Ships cannot sail the river fully loaded and sometimes have to leave 75% empty. The water level is particularly low at the Kaub Bay point near Koblenz, where the waterline is only 56 centimeters. For the normal operation of cargo shipping, this level should be about 1.5 meters of the waterline, so that ships can sail with a full load. "We keep sailing, but we can only load about 25 percent to 35 percent of the ship's capacity," said Roberto Spranzi, director of the DTG shipping cooperative. He explained that under such conditions, customers would need three ships to transport cargo instead of one. Shipping authorities do not close the river during low water, leaving the issue of stopping cargo shipments to the ship operators.
Gallery
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Timelines
2022
August 26
Amid record-high temperatures, rivers began to dry up in the countries of Europe as well. The Rhine River shallowed to such a level that hungry stones appeared on the surface, on which dates and marks of the water level were left as early as the fifteenth century. They foretold drought, crop failure, and famine.
August 11
German authorities forecast that the water level in the Rhine near Kaubah will drop below the 40-centimeter mark and continue to fall over the weekend, and even though this is still above the record low of 27 centimeters seen in October 2018, many large ships may find it difficult to cross the river in this location. "The situation is quite dramatic, but not yet as dramatic as in 2018," said Christian Lorenz of the German logistics company HGK turn. He added, however, that already now, due to low water levels, ships carrying salt on the river from Heilbronn to Cologne, which generally have 2,200 tons of cargo, are only able to carry about 600 tons.
July 13
Low water levels are already affecting energy supplies. Coal supplies to two power plants in Germany - one in Mannheim and the other in Karlsruhe -- have been "affected" by low water levels in the Rhine since July 13, according to the EEX exchange.
2019
January 18
The Rhine waterway, crucial for moving coal, auto parts, food, and thousands of other goods, risks becoming impassable due to climate change. After a prolonged summer drought, busy traffic on the Rhine came to a halt for nearly a month late last year, blocking a crucial transportation route. The drought had a significant impact on German industry, slowing economic growth in the third and fourth quarters.
2018
July 19
In 2018, when Europe experienced its last major drought, the Rhine River closed to cargo ships for 132 days, nearly triggering a recession in Germany. This year, however, the cost of transporting goods on the river has already increased fivefold, and economists have estimated that the disruptions could reduce Germany's overall economic growth this year by half a percent.