Record Low Danube Water Levels Disrupt Transport and Power Amid Drought
A prolonged drought has pushed the Danube River to its lowest recorded level, halting cruise and cargo traffic and prompting shutdowns at nuclear plants in Hungary and Romania.
The Danube River fell to a new historic low on Wednesday, with Budapest’s water authority recording a level of 23 cm, surpassing the previous record of 33 cm set in 2018. The drop comes as Central Europe endures a long-lasting drought and heat waves that have sharply reduced precipitation and increased evaporation.
The low water has halted most cargo navigation and forced cruise ships to dock far upriver. In Bulgaria, police evacuated 186 tourists from a cruise vessel that ran aground near Vidin after it could not reach the port. In Serbia, dozens of cargo vessels and small boats were stranded on the exposed riverbank near Novi Sad.
"The bare rocks, the dry sand bars around the bridge pillars ... it’s all shocking to see how things were before and how they are now," said photographer Gábor Kertész, who documented the exposed shoals in Budapest.
Nuclear facilities that rely on Danube water for cooling have also been affected. Romania’s Cernavoda plant reduced output and shut down a reactor after river flow fell to about one-third of the July average. Hungary’s Paks plant began powering down a reactor and later reduced output at two others because of limited cooling water.
Authorities in Budapest closed the Margaret Bridge after a World-War II bomb was uncovered by the receding water. Treasure hunters have taken advantage of the exposed riverbed, retrieving metal objects with magnets, though they note the conditions also pose safety risks.
Meteorological data show 90-day precipitation totals across Hungary are 80-130 mm below multi-year averages, and forecasts predict continued high temperatures above 38 °C with little rain, suggesting the river’s level may fall further in the coming days.