Rhine to split into two non-navigable sections as water levels hit single digits

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11 days · 10 summary articles
The Rhine River may soon split into two non-navigable sections for commercial and passenger traffic as water levels at the critical Kaub gauge near Koblenz are forecast to drop to a single-digit reading this week, according to Jens Schwanen, managing director of the German Inland Waterways Association (BDB). Speaking to the *Rheinische Post*, Schwanen said the river would effectively be divided, with shipping possible only between the ARA ports of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Antwerp and Cologne via the western canal network, while southern routes along the Main, Moselle, Neckar, and Danube-Main Canal would remain open .
The BDB warned that freight and excursion vessels would be unable to operate on the central stretch, disrupting supply chains. Four German states—North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland—have already relaxed Sunday trucking bans to mitigate transport bottlenecks, the ADAC motorists’ association noted .
Low water levels have plagued German rivers for weeks, with the Rhine, Elbe, and Danube recording extreme lows. The German Transport Ministry plans crisis talks this week to explore shifting cargo to roads and rail, and to review construction work on transport networks .
Across Europe, drought and heatwaves are straining water resources. The Danube is at its lowest level since 1996, affecting agriculture, transport, and energy in Central and Eastern Europe, while 67 French departments face water restrictions. The EU’s 2025 Water Resilience Strategy aims to address systemic shortages, with 30% of Europeans and 20% of land already under annual water stress .
In Italy, 19 cities remain on red alert for heat, with drought increasing wildfire risks from Tuscany to Piedmont. Spain’s meteorological agency issued warnings for 10 regions, forecasting temperatures up to 40°C and severe thunderstorms in Valencia, the southeast, and Navarra . The Netherlands braces for a fifth heatwave, with temperatures expected to reach 35°C by Thursday .
German forests show severe stress, with four out of five trees affected by drought since 2018, according to a Technical University of Munich study published in *Nature Geoscience*. Researchers reported an unprecedented loss of biomass and carbon storage, with 94% of North Rhine-Westphalia’s land area experiencing unusual dryness by late July .
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3 further sources not geolocated

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