Even the Rhine River Dries Up... Europe's "Worst Drought in 500 Years"

Sharp Drop in Water Levels Due to Low Rainfall and Heatwave
Emergency Declared Simultaneously for Pogang and Loire Rivers

On the 9th (local time), a pond in ?chillais, southwestern France, has dried up. French authorities have activated a crisis response organization to address the worst drought caused by extreme heatwaves, designating 93 departments as 'areas with possible water use restrictions,' among which 62 departments have issued the highest level drought warning, the 'crisis' alert.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Nayeon] Major rivers in Europe, including the Rhine, are drying up rapidly.

On the 13th (local time), the British daily The Guardian reported that record-breaking heatwaves and low rainfall have caused river water levels to drop continuously, significantly impacting transportation as well as various sectors of the economy.

According to the German Federal Institute of Hydrology (BFG), the Rhine River water level measured at the key gauge point in Kauf, Germany, was below 40 cm as of the previous day. It is expected to fall below 30 cm within a few days.

In particular, 40 cm is considered the practical "maginot line" water level for shipping companies to operate barges. Currently, barge cargo volume on the Rhine has sharply decreased, and fees have surged about fivefold.

If barge transportation is completely halted, concerns are raised about the impact not only on Germany but also on the overall European economy.

Previously, experts predicted that if transportation were suspended for six months in 2018, losses would amount to approximately 5 billion euros (about 6.7 trillion KRW).

The Po River flowing through Italy has already dropped to about one-tenth of its usual flow, and the Loire River, the longest in France, is experiencing a similar situation.

French authorities are strictly regulating river water temperature and other factors when discharging cooling water from nuclear power plants to protect the Loire River. However, due to drought, river water levels are low and temperatures have already risen significantly, affecting the volume of cooling water discharge.

As a result, reducing cooling water discharge inevitably means cutting back on power generation.

The Guardian also reported that authorities recently temporarily allowed additional cooling water discharge at some nuclear power plants.

Moreover, Norway, which relies on hydropower for about 90% of its electricity, is facing abnormally low reservoir levels, raising the possibility of future reductions in electricity exports.

Experts warned that with low rainfall over the past two months and no significant rain forecast in the near future, this drought could become the worst in centuries.

While South Korea is currently suffering from record-breaking heavy rains not seen in 115 years, Europe is experiencing its worst drought in 500 years.

Andrea Toreti, a researcher at the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Union (EU) Commission, said, "The situation is still ongoing, so we have not fully analyzed this year's drought yet, but there has been no drought like that of 2018 in the past 500 years, and this year’s situation seems more severe."

He added that there is a very high risk that dry conditions will continue for the next three months, and without effective measures to mitigate damage, droughts could become more severe and frequent across Europe.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.