On Monday, July 27, the Danube river level in Bratislava was only 217–218 centimeters. This is one of the lowest levels in the last thirty years. If the drought does not stop, river navigation on the Slovak section may be temporarily stopped completely.
The worst situation is now in the Devín area: the water level has dropped to 66 centimeters. For comparison, the long-term average level here is about 250 centimeters. Stones and the exposed riverbed are already visible along the riverbanks in the capital.
Locks are operating in water-saving mode
To slow down the drop in water levels, the state-owned company Slovenský vodohospodársky podnik (SVP) and Vodohospodárska výstavba have introduced a special operating mode for the locks at the Gabčíkovo water complex. Ships will now pass through the lock chambers in scheduled cycles.
The general director of SVP, Jozef Morávčik, assured that the maximum waiting time to pass through a lock will not exceed three hours. The head of Vodohospodárska výstavba, Peter Molla, explained the logic behind the restrictions simply: each time water is released from a lock chamber, the water level in the upper pool drops by about one centimeter. Therefore, the chambers will be filled with the maximum number of ships before releasing water, because water is too valuable to waste on single trips.
The Slovak transport authority has also reacted to the situation. It ordered ship captains to carefully check the draft of their vessels and assess the safety of the route before each trip. If the conditions do not meet the requirements, ships must remain at the dock.
Shallow river hurts the economy
Low water levels are not just about picturesque photos of the exposed riverbed. Ships cannot be fully loaded because their draft must be reduced to avoid running aground. As reported by TA3, this means more trips are needed to transport the same amount of cargo, and logistics costs are increasing.
Tourism is also suffering: the extremely low water levels are forcing excursion boats to change their routes. So, if you were planning a Danube cruise in the coming weeks, check the schedule directly with the tour operator.
The weather forecast is not encouraging. Hot and dry weather with little rain is expected to continue across Central Europe, including the Danube basin in Germany and Austria. Water inflow will not increase, and the river level will most likely continue to fall. A similar situation is happening in Romania, where the water level has also dropped to a 30-year low.
