Low water levels threaten navigation on Serbia’s Danube

The Danube River could become unnavigable within days as water levels continue to fall to record lows, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has warned, highlighting growing concerns over the country's economy, energy sector and water supply.

According to a statement released by the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, Vučić said the Danube is currently still navigable, but vessels have already been forced to reduce their cargo loads by 50 per cent because of the river's shallow depth, Caliber.Az reports. 

"In two or three days, the Danube will be unnavigable. Today it is navigable, but we need to reduce the draft—that is, the cargo—by 50 per cent," the president said.

Vučić also warned that prolonged low water levels could disrupt operations at Serbia's oil refineries, adding that rising oil prices and potential supply constraints pose a risk to the country's economic growth.

"There is a financial problem, but there is also a supply problem and a problem with the pace of growth, because the moment our refineries stop, it halts the country's economic growth and everything else," he said.

Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dačić is scheduled to convene a meeting of the national emergency response headquarters on August 3 to assess measures aimed at protecting the country's water supply system.

According to Serbia's hydrometeorological service, the Danube's water level fell to minus 159 centimetres by August 2, setting a new record low and surpassing levels recorded more than a century ago. The critically low river level has already forced the shutdown of the Bezdan pumping station, which supplies water to the northern Bačka region.

By Sabina Mammadli