[REVISION HISTORY]

European river drought and economic disruption

Updated 18 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-13 11:15 UTC → 2026-08-13 12:34 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Extreme drought and heatwaves have caused record-low water levels across major European rivers, including the Rhine, Danube, Thames, Po, and Rhône. Data from the Copernicus climate monitoring service indicates that approximately 85% of the Rhine and two-thirds of the Danube recorded their lowest July discharge levels since 1992. In England, 95% of monitored Thames sections reached record lows, while Italy’s Po river experienced a 40% reduction in flow. In the Rhine, water levels at the critical Kaub chokepoint have reached unprecedented lows. Navigable water depth has dropped to as low as 11 cm, effectively halting north-south shipping for many vessels. To avoid running aground, vessels are restricted to carrying only about 20% of their normal load. This has caused transport costs to surge; for instance, barge rates from Rotterdam to Karlsruhe have risen from 45 euros to as much as 160 euros per ~~ton.~~ ton, while rates from the Upper Rhine to Rotterdam have reportedly quadrupled. The drought threatens the German ~~chemical industry,~~ chemical, steel, and petrochemical industries, with companies such as BASF, Bayer, and Covestro facing potential production halts and increased costs due to shortages of raw materials and reliance on the river for cooling and steam generation. ~~The crisis is also contributing to rising fuel prices in western Germany as the cost of transporting oil and diesel via river tankers increases.~~ To mitigate these issues, the German government is focusing on shifting freight from waterways to rail and road. Deutsche Bahn is attempting to increase rail freight, with DB Cargo potentially mobilizing 400 additional wagons. Additionally, some German states have temporarily suspended Sunday truck driving bans to shift cargo from water to road. Despite these measures, industry leaders warn that infrastructure remains vulnerable, noting that a long-delayed river deepening project at Kaub is not expected to be completed until 2033.

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