WARSAW, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Europe is grappling with prolonged heat and widespread drought, which are placing increasing strain on drinking water supplies, power generation, agriculture and inland transport, and disrupting daily life and economic activity across the continent.
Governments are scrambling to introduce emergency measures to secure water and energy supplies and maintain transport operations as drought conditions show little sign of easing.
DAILY LIFE UNDER PRESSURE
The effects of prolonged heat and drought are being felt in household water and electricity supplies, as well as in agricultural production.
In Italy's Po Valley, the drought emergency has been raised to a "high" severity level, according to the Po River Basin Authority.
More than 100 municipalities in the northern regions of Piedmont and Lombardy are facing critical drinking water supply problems. In several municipalities, water tankers have been used for days to refill reservoirs and maintain supplies to households.
Water use is also being tightened in Belgium. The Brussels regional government has urged residents to postpone non-essential activities such as washing cars, filling swimming pools and watering lawns. Eight municipalities in Wallonia have introduced restrictions on water use, while Flanders has issued a code orange drought warning.
In Cyprus, temperatures approaching 43 degrees Celsius in late July drove electricity demand to a record 1,341 megawatts as households and businesses relied heavily on air conditioning.
With two generating units at the Dhekelia Power Station out of operation, the Electricity Authority of Cyprus and the country's transmission system operator introduced controlled rolling blackouts in several areas. The outages, generally lasting between 20 and 30 minutes, were intended to maintain grid stability.
Agriculture is also under pressure.
According to the Association of Farmers of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, drought has severely affected crops and livestock. Commercial and silage maize had been particularly hard hit, while fruit growers and livestock producers were also suffering losses.
Lower yields and high production costs could push up agricultural prices, said the association.
FALLING RIVERS DISRUPT TRANSPORT, POWER GENERATION
Across Europe, falling river levels are affecting inland navigation, freight transport and electricity generation.
On July 30, the Rhine fell to its lowest level ever recorded in the Netherlands. At Lobith, where the river enters the country from Germany, the water stood at 6.47 meters above Normaal Amsterdams Peil, the Dutch national elevation reference level, slightly below the previous record set in 2022.
In Germany, the water level at the key Kaub bottleneck fell to 28 centimeters on Monday and was forecast to drop below 20 centimeters later in the week, according to the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration.
Although the gauge reading does not represent the depth of the navigation channel itself, the low level has forced vessels to reduce their loads, affecting shipments of coal, ores, grain, fuels and refinery materials.
Similar transport problems are being reported in Belgium. On some waterways, vessels have had to leave 10-20 percent of their cargo onshore, according to inland shipping association Koepel Binnenvaart Vlaanderen.
More than half of the goods leaving the Port of Antwerp-Bruges are transported by inland waterways. Shipping operators have warned that continued delays to diesel and petrol tankers could eventually affect deliveries to filling stations.
Poland this year recorded a temperature that broke a national record standing for more than a century. The country's Institute of Meteorology and Water Management recently issued hydrological drought warnings covering 64 river catchments nationwide, saying persistent drought had left water levels low in some rivers and difficult hydrological conditions were also affecting inland navigation.
In Hungary, the Paks nuclear power plant could face the first complete shutdown in its 44-year history because of record-low Danube levels. The plant normally accounts for nearly half of the country's domestic electricity generation.
Along the Danube, exceptionally low inflows have cut electricity generation at Serbia's Djerdap hydropower plants to the lowest level since the facilities began operating. Djerdap I is generating at about 20 percent of normal capacity and Djerdap II at around 30 percent, Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic has said.
The Kostolac thermal power plant, which relies on the Danube for cooling water, has also reduced the output of some generating units by about one-third. Reduced river depths have lowered the carrying capacity of barges transporting petroleum products, forcing part of the country's fuel transport to shift from waterways to rail.
The Serbian transmission system operator said low river levels were affecting hydropower, nuclear power and thermal power generation across Europe. Neighboring countries including Hungary and Croatia have recently requested emergency electricity support from Serbia.
CONSERVATION MEASURES TAKE EFFECT
Hungary has authorized mandatory consumption reductions for major industrial users if necessary, although voluntary conservation has so far helped avoid enforced rationing.
Nearly 300 companies, together with state-owned firms, local governments, civil society groups and churches, have pledged to reduce electricity consumption.
Decorative lighting at landmarks including the Hungarian Parliament, Buda Castle and the Chain Bridge has been switched off. The government has also placed reserve power units on standby, maximized electricity imports and halted most rail freight operations during evening peak hours. Household restrictions remain a last resort.
Serbia has announced daily coordination meetings among relevant agencies from Aug. 4. Authorities have called on households, businesses and local governments to use electricity and water more carefully, particularly irrigation water.
The government has maintained reservoir storage at around 75 percent of capacity while increasing coal, fuel oil and electricity reserves. Diesel and gasoline stocks are sufficient for roughly 90 days of average summer consumption, while part of the transport of petroleum products has been shifted from waterways to rail.
Water authorities in Belgium have also introduced measures to stabilize water levels. Flanders has prohibited water extraction from rivers, restricted vessel drafts and required multiple boats to pass through locks together to conserve water. The Port of Brussels has consolidated lock operations and restricted recreational navigation.
In the Netherlands, the National Water Shortage Management Team met on July 30 and concluded that no additional national or supra-regional measures were necessary at present. Authorities said there were no bottlenecks in drinking water supplies but urged households and businesses to continue using water responsibly.
Cyprus, meanwhile, plans to develop around 120 megawatts of battery storage capacity from 2027. The projects are expected to allow more solar electricity generated during the daytime to be used during evening peak hours and reduce the risk of future power shortages.
Thierry Vanelslander, a transport economist at the University of Antwerp, said measures such as operating locks more efficiently and bringing in water through tributaries and canals could only temporarily limit the impact. Such measures were constrained by the widespread drought and the need to retain sufficient drinking water, he added.
He warned that the situation could deteriorate further if the drought persists into August and September.
