Water levels in rivers around Poland have reached dramatically low levels following a period of exceptionally hot, dry weather. The country’s longest river, the Vistula, is approaching its lowest ever level.
A heatwave swept across Poland last week, with temperatures reaching almost 38°C (100°F). Some places, such as the southeastern city of Wrocław, recorded new local record highs. That followed another earlier hot and dry period in June and early July that left over half the country at risk of drought.
Wisła w Warszawie wysycha. "Lepiej przyzwyczaić się do tego widoku" #wyborcza https://t.co/f8JeiHhl7e
— Gazeta Wyborcza.pl (@gazeta_wyborcza) July 22, 2022
Data from the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMGW), a state body, show that the water levels in the Vistula have been dropping systematically in recent days, reports TVN24.
This morning, the water level in the river was at 30 centimetres, just 4 centimetres above the record low levels recorded in 2015 and 2018. Due to the low water levels, ferry services in Warsaw have been suspended until further notice.
Photographs published by the Dobra Pogoda 24 weather service show that another river, the San, Poland’s sixth longest and which flows from the Carpathian mountains, is running almost dry in many places.
Mamy wielki problem z węglem, ale na naszych oczach wysychają rzeki w dramatycznie szybkim czasie, takie jak San. Musimy rozwiązać ten hydrologiczny problem Polski jak najszybciej, ponieważ za parę lat ludzie zwyczajnie mogą nie mieć wody! pic.twitter.com/Ew6V1dShlM
— Kopyto Jakub (@Kopyto_Jakub) July 23, 2022
“The situation on the San has worsened considerably compared to June,” wrote Dobra Pogoda 24. “Currently, large areas of the riverbed in the upper reaches above the Solina dam are dry or with little water.”
There are two artificial reservoirs in the Bieszczady section of the river, including Lake Solina, where a pumped storage hydroelectric power station with an installed capacity of 200 MW operates. On Lake Solina, the water level has also started to drop and a sandy island has emerged from the reservoir.
The water level in the lake is currently 13.5 metres above the minimum that must be maintained for the power facility to operate, according to the firm that runs it, PGE Energia Odnawialna, cited by local news website NaszeMiasto.
The water level is currently only 4 metres above the lowest ever recorded, in 2003, reports the portal. But for now, there is no threat to the operation of the power facility. This year, hydropower plants in Italy were forced to halt operations due to the country’s worst drought in 70 years.
Main photo credit: Mirosław Piela
Alicja Ptak is senior editor at Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She previously worked for Reuters.
