Czech Republic's Elbe River Levels Plummet Amid Severe Summer Drought

A severe summer drought is affecting the whole of the Czech Republic, with river levels dropping far below normal. In the Elbe (Labe) basin, the waterway in Ústí nad Labem and Děčín has receded so much that the riverbed is exposed and people can walk where water once flowed. The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ) warned of the drought after a winter with very low snowpack and high summer temperatures that increase evaporation. Hydrologist Tomáš Fryč noted that water has disappeared from basins that never dried before, such as the Želivka watershed, the Vlašimská Blanice and the Rakovnický potok. The Vltava River remains the only major waterway with sufficient flow, sustained by releases from dams for industrial and power‑generation needs.

Other rivers, including the Sázava and the Lužnice, are now almost unnavigable. The Lužnice, once a classic water‑tourism route in South Bohemia, is described as “practically dry,” with fishponds also suffering deficits. The drop in water levels has hit the water‑tourism sector hard. Petr Ptáček, chairman of the Association of Water Tourism and Sports (AVTS), reported that paddlers have vanished from the Lužnice and Sázava, leading to significant revenue losses for rental camps and operators, who are now relying on cyclists and caravans to offset the decline.