Danube low water levels cripple Serbia's hydro power and navigation
Record low water levels on the Danube have been recorded across the region. At the Bezdan gauge the river fell to –159 cm on 2 August, surpassing the previous historic low of –143 cm set in 1909. Similar drops were measured at Novi Sad (‑52 cm) and other points in Serbia, Croatia, Hungary and Romania.
The shortage of water has forced Serbia’s main hydroelectric plant, Đerdap 1, to operate at only 20 % of its capacity and Đerdap 2 at about 30 %. Minister for Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović Handanović warned that the situation is “extremely challenging” and urged citizens to use electricity rationally. Production at the plant remains uninterrupted but at a reduced output of roughly 8.6 GWh per day, about half of the planned level.
River traffic has been severely curtailed. Large cargo vessels and passenger boats are stranded on sandbars, and the transport of bulk goods along the Danube‑Tisa‑Danube corridor is limited. The exposed riverbed has revealed sunken World‑War‑II vessels, unexploded bombs, a 13‑year‑old stolen car near Szoba (Hungary), and even mammoth remains in Bulgaria.
In Croatia, the Drava river also reached record lows, exposing unexploded aerial bombs that had to be safely removed. The broader European drought, affecting the Danube, Rhine and other major rivers, is projected by experts to cause economic losses of up to €126 billion per year by 2029.
Entities: Danube River · Davor Maljoković · Drava River · Dubravka Đedović Handanović · Handanović · Szoba, Hungary · Vis Island · feral goats · Đerdap 1 Hydroelectric Plant · Đerdap hydroelectric plant
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Đerdap 1 hydroelectric plant is operating at 20 % of its capacity due to low water flow. (hydroelectric production reduction)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Experts estimate that the ongoing European drought could cause economic losses of up to €126 billion per year by 2029. (economic impact estimate)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] A stolen 13‑year‑old Opel Corsa was recovered from the Danube near Szoba, Hungary, after the river’s low level exposed it. (artifact discovery)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Extremely low water levels in the Drava river in Croatia exposed unexploded World‑War‑II bombs that were safely removed. (hazard removal)
- [● 3 SOURCES] River navigation on the Danube has been severely reduced, with large vessels stranded and cargo transport limited. (navigation disruption)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Đerdap 2 hydroelectric plant is operating at about 30 % of its capacity. (hydroelectric production reduction)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Minister Dubravka Đedović Handanović appealed to citizens to use electricity rationally amid the drought. (government appeal)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The Danube water level at the Bezdan gauge fell to –159 cm on 2 August, a historic minimum. (record low water level)