France's longest river, the Loire, has never flowed so slowly. The Rhine is fast becoming impassable for barges. In Italy, the Po River is 2 meters lower than normal, damaging crops. The Po Valley accounts for 30% to 40% of Italy's agricultural production, but rice producers in particular warn that up to 60% of their crops could be lost as rice fields dry out and are spoiled by seawater sucked up by the low river.
Cargo traffic on the 2,85,000-kilometer Danube has also been severely disrupted, prompting authorities in Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria to begin dredging canals while barges carrying mostly fuel for power generators await advancement.
Across Europe, drought is turning once-powerful rivers into forelocks that could have dramatic consequences for industry, trucking, energy production and food - just as supply shortages and price increases due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Because of the deteriorating climate, a very dry winter and spring, accompanied by record summer temperatures and occasional heat waves, have resulted in Europe's major waterways not being replenished and increasingly overheated.
PigUA.info by latifundist.com