Reuters: Danube water levels drop to 30-year low, disrupting farming

Water levels on the Danube River in Romania have fallen to their lowest point in nearly three decades, leading authorities to impose irrigation restrictions and causing disruptions to shipping and tourism, according to the Reuters Climate Monitor.

The report said the decline comes amid prolonged heatwaves and drought affecting waterways across Europe.

The average peak temperature across Western Europe on Monday was forecast to reach 26.2 degrees Celsius, 2.7 degrees above the seasonal norm for July 20.

Romania's state water management agency reported that water flow at the country's entry point on Europe's second-longest river fell to 1,700 cubic metres per second on Sunday, well below the typical July average of around 4,700 cubic metres per second.

Footage captured by Reuters showed vast stretches of sand exposed along the Danube's banks near the Romanian-Bulgarian border. Several ferry services were suspended, while grain barges remained stranded because of the low water levels.

Romania is one of the European Union's leading grain exporters, making the disruption particularly significant for agricultural trade.

In response to the drought, authorities have limited farmers' access to irrigation water in southeastern Romania and adjusted reservoir operations to maintain the minimum water levels needed to cool the two reactors operated by state-owned nuclear power producer Nuclearelectrica.

The water management agency said river levels are expected to begin recovering from Monday following heavy rainfall in several parts of the country.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov