Moravia drought slashes river flows and sparks wildlife warnings

The Morava River basin in the Czech Republic faces a prolonged low‑water period caused by an annual dam release that will last until 20 July. Municipal officials in Olomouc warn that moving fish and crayfish from drying side‑streams can unintentionally accelerate deaths and spread the deadly crayfish plague. They stress that rescued specimens should be handled only by experts.

Hydrological data show extreme reductions in flow: the Moštejnka recorded just 80 L/s, the Bečva in Dluhnice 2.21 m³/s (about 14 % of its normal volume), and the Bečva in Teplice hovered just above the drought threshold. The dry conditions have raised water temperatures to around 32 °C, causing a few fish mortalities and stressing aquaculture ponds, though no major die‑offs were reported. Water managers plan a scheduled release at the Přerov dam on 24 July and will continue debris clearing in the Bečva until the end of the month.