European rivers face water‑level and pollution threats

In early July, Slovak authorities warned anglers to avoid eating fish from the Myjava River after the Turá Lúka wastewater‑treatment plant repeatedly exceeded legal limits, leaving elevated nickel levels and critically polluted stretches downstream. The Slovak Environmental Inspection continued intensive monitoring and worked with plant operators to restore proper treatment.

Later in July, Serbian officials in Vojvodina highlighted unusually low water levels on the Sava and Danube rivers caused by extreme drought. The reduced flow led to oxygen loss in isolated reservoirs, fish deaths and algal blooms that stress wetlands and protected species. Anglers were advised to fish only at certain times and to report mortality incidents.

At the end of July, Czech authorities intensified monitoring of the Labe River in the Ústí nad Labem region. Police and the Czech Fishing Association deployed drones, inspected water quality and bank conditions, and imposed a temporary fishing ban on the Pod 1 reservoir as water levels fell sharply and black waste deposits appeared. Aeration devices were installed at the nearby Modlanská reservoir to prevent oxygen depletion, and officials warned that high summer temperatures could trigger large‑scale fish die‑offs similar to those recorded the previous year.

These episodes illustrate mounting pressures on Central European waterways, where pollution incidents and drought‑driven low water levels alike jeopardize fish health and prompt regulatory actions.