Worst drought in 200 years paralyses Danube river shipping

The level of Europe's second largest river has fallen to a trickle in places as result of a lack of rain in Eastern Europe and the Balkans. An estimated 80 cargo ships are stranded on the Hungary-Serbia border.

"In my many years of experience as a boat captain, I don't remember a drought as harsh as this one," said Anton Balasz, whose Hungarian ship is stranded on an exposed sand bank.

The Danube flows for 1,777 miles passing through eight countries before pouring into the Black Sea, providing one of Europe's most vital and busiest transport routes.

So dry is the Danube that shipping has been put at risk as unexploded bombs and sunken Second World War warships emerge from the water as the river shrinks to expose banks that have not seen the light of day for centuries.

Parts of central Europe have had their driest November since records began in 1775.

The current level of the river in Bulgaria is at its lowest since 1941 and shipping on large stretches of the river has ground to a halt.

Cargo shipping on the Danube is only at 25 per cent of the usual volume due to the low water levels, with cargo being diverted onto roads and rail, the Austrian waterway organisation Via Donau said.

"There is just no water. The situation is critical not only here on the lower Danube but also upriver in Hungary, Austria, Germany," said Ivan Ivanov, deputy chief of Bulgarian River Shipping. "Shipping costs are soaring, I don't even want to calculate our losses."

Branko Savic, the manager of a Danube shipping company in Serbia, described the drought as "a disaster". "Traffic on the Danube is practically non-existent. We are in dire need of enormous amounts of water, rain, or melting snow," he said.

The British based Europe River Cruises said that none of its operators were currently reporting problems ahead of the busy Christmas period but that alternative transport would be found if necessary.

"Our Christmas market tours will not be affected because if boats cannot navigate the river then we will take people by coach," said a spokesman.

Meteorologists are at a loss to explain the drought which has caused a series of problems throughout the area. Hydro-power supplies are running low in Serbia, drinking water shortages have hit Bosnia and crops are threatened in Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary.

Environmentalists are also concerned and a World Wildlife Fund report has noted a sharp drop in bird populations along the lower stretch of the Danube.

The Telegraph