Danube Drought Disrupts Shipping Across Hungary

Temperatures in some places reached 35C (95F) in Budapest this week as an intense, early-summer heatwave gripped eastern Europe, killing at least eight people in Italy and three in Romania.

The heat and the drought have caused water levels to drop drastically, and cargo ships can currently only work at 30–40% of their capacity, said Attila Bencsik, deputy president of the Hungarian Shipping Association.

“More than half of the cargo is simply not coming with the ship,” said Bencsik, who warned that shipping rates could double when vessels sail underloaded d because to surcharges.

Shipping Conditions Deteriorating Early
While such water levels have happened in the past, they usually do so in late summer. This year, they arrived early. “These levels are typical for August,” Attila Szegi from the Hungarian General Directorate of Water Management said. Some rainfall forecast next week in the Danube's catchment area may provide some slight relief, he added.

June was the driest since 1901, with 17% of the usual amount of rain, according to Hungary’s state meteorological institute, HungaroMet.

“It is one of the rainiest months of the year according to our climate, and now we are in the low water level,” said kayaker Gyorgy Matavovszki, who watched the scene from a sandbank near Szob, north of Budapest. “It’s pretty because the water is clear and good for paddling — but it’s concerning.”

Regional Rivers Also at Risk
The Danube is not the only river hit. In Poland, the Vistula River in Warsaw on Friday broke its record low from 2000 by sinking to just 19 centimeters (7.48 inches), said MichaÅ‚ Sikora, a meteorologist and hydrologist at Poland’s IMGW. More retreat is predicted below 15 centimeters.

Germany’s Rhine River is also running at abnormally low levels, prompting broader worries across Europe about climate extremes, water management, and transport stability.

With dry conditions set to continue, experts and authorities are on the lookout for a further disruption of vital river traffic and increased pressure on local ecosystems.