Record low river levels in Poland hit tourism

Andrzej Stanski, who runs an organization that organizes cruises on Poland’s Vistula, has had to alter his boat routes due to the record low levels of water. “We’re sailing away from the route because you can hit a rock here and there,” he told Reuters. “The engines cost a lot, and it’s all about the safety for both passengers and ourselves”.

After a scorching hot summer in eastern Europe, Poland’s largest river is only a fraction its normal level. The water level in Warsaw on Wednesday was 20 cm, according to data from Poland’s Institute of Meteorology and Water Management. This is lower than the previous record low of 2016 of 26 cm and compared to more normal depths of 105 – 250 cm.

Jaroslaw Ssuchozebrski is an hydrologist at the Warsaw University. He said that Poland was in a drought.

“We are using less and less of it, so water users have to be more rational about their use… mainly in the energy industry. He told Reuters that the cooling processes used in energy production are based on water.

“The quality of the water is also important, as the less water that flows through the river, the more pollutants are diluted.”

Private Radio RMF announced on Wednesday that the southern reaches of Vistula had been found to have dozens of dead salmon. Water levels are expected to rise as IMGW predicts heavy rains in the next few days, but new risks may arise.

Suchozebrski stated that “we may have a very rapid reaction of the river, and even go from an hydrological drought into a flood.”

Other countries in Central and Eastern Europe, including Hungary, are also experiencing sharp drops in river water levels with serious consequences for agriculture.