Heat wave puts Poland's longest river at record low

Europe's record-breaking heat wave has had a major impact on water bodies, with the continent's lakes and rivers experiencing severe depletion, particularly in Poland where water levels have reached critically low levels.

The European Union's climate monitoring service, Copernicus, reported recently that the world has just experienced its hottest northern hemisphere summer on record, surpassing last year's temperatures as global warming intensifies.

This unprecedented heat, particularly evident in the June-to-August period, significantly increases the probability that 2024 will surpass 2023 as the warmest year in recorded history, it said.

The Vistula River, Poland's longest and most important waterway, has dropped to a fraction of its normal depth, with Warsaw recording just 20 centimeters on Wednesday, below the 2015 record low of 26 cm.

This drastic reduction, far from the usual 105-250 cm range, was confirmed by Poland's Institute of Meteorology and Water Management, or IMGW, highlighting the severe impact of the heat wave on vital waterways.

The extreme low water levels in the Vistula have forced tour operators to alter their routes. Andrzej Stanski, who runs a river cruise company, explained the challenges they face.

"We're sailing off the route, because here and there you can simply hit a stone," he told Reuters. "The engines cost quite a lot, and it's about the safety of both the passengers and ourselves."

Warsaw University hydrologist Jaroslaw Suchozebrski warned that Poland is experiencing a hydrological drought with far-reaching consequences.

"We have less and less water at our disposal, which means that water recipients have to approach it a little more rationally ... mainly the energy industry," he told Reuters. "Our energy production is based on cooling processes using water. The second concern is the water quality, as lower river fl ow reduces the dilution of pollutants."

Hydrological data paints a concerning picture, with nearly three-quarters of Poland's monitoring stations reporting diminished water levels, while the count of locations exhibiting signs of hydrological drought has surged to 295, said Euronews.

The serious environmental consequences of the drought were highlighted in a report from Poland's Radio RMF, which revealed that numerous dead fish had been found in the Vistula River's southern sections.

Suchozebrski noted that weather forecasts indicate heavy rainfall in the coming days, which could lead to a swift increase in river levels, potentially shifting the crisis from drought to fl ash fl oods.

Other Central and Eastern European countries, including Hungary, are experiencing similar issues that threaten agricultural productivity, noted Reuters.

"During the past three months of 2024, the globe has experienced the hottest June and August, the hottest day on record, and the hottest boreal summer on record," said Copernicus Climate Change Service deputy director, Samantha Burgess.

Without immediate and significant reductions of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions by nations worldwide, extreme weather "will only become more intense," added Burgess.