Severe Drought Drains Danube River, Harming Tourism and Trade
WHO:
AP News - Gábor Kertész, photographer documenting the Danube River.
AP News - Radovan Segrt, houseboat owner running river excursions.
AP News - Authorities in Romania and Hungary managing nuclear power plants.
AP News - Zsolt Horváth, treasure hunter using a magnet to find objects in the river.
WHAT:
DW.com - Hungary's Paks nuclear plant cut output by 50% at reactor 2 and announced it would shut down altogether for the first time in 44 years due to low water levels.
DW.com - The Romanian Energy Ministry was set to shut down the second reactor at the Cernavoda nuclear plant due to unfavorable hydraulic conditions but managed to keep it operating overnight.
AP News - The water level along parts of the Danube in Romania is already one meter (three feet) below the navigable minimum.
AP News - The Danube River is expected to further ebb in the coming days with no significant rain in the forecast and temperatures expected to rise to over 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) across the region.
AP News - The water flow in Romania's Danube has fallen to 1,630 cubic meters per second, which is about a third of the typical July average.
AP News - The Viking Ullur cruise ship's passengers ran out of food and water after the vessel was unable to reach the port in Vidin due to running into a shallow shoal.
AP News - The Paks nuclear plant in Hungary began powering down a reactor on Wednesday due to restricted cooling-water supplies, following two successive reductions in power output in two reactors over the previous two days.
ABC News World - The Danube River is experiencing record low water levels due to severe drought.
AP News - The water level in Budapest was measured at 23 centimeters (9 inches), below the previous low of 33 centimeters (13 inches) set in 2018.
AP News - The Danube's water flow in Romania fell to 1,630 cubic meters per second, about a third of the typical July average.
AP News - Authorities shut down a reactor unit at the Cernavoda power plant in Romania for safety reasons.
AP News - Hungary's Paks nuclear plant began powering down a reactor due to restricted cooling-water supplies.
AP News - Police evacuated 186 tourists from a cruise ship that ran aground near Vidin, Bulgaria.
WHERE:
AP News - The Danube River runs through 10 countries, including Germany, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Serbia.
AP News - The national water authority in Budapest, Hungary, measured the river's water level.
AP News - The cruise ship incident occurred near the port city of Vidin, Bulgaria.
AP News - Hundreds of boats were marooned near Novi Sad, Serbia.
WHEN:
AP News - The water level measurement in Budapest occurred on a Wednesday morning.
AP News - The reactor unit at the Cernavoda power plant was shut down on a Tuesday.
AP News - The Paks nuclear plant began powering down a reactor on a Wednesday.
WHY:
AP News - The drought and heat waves are attributed to climate change, causing low water levels and affecting tourism and industry.
AP News - Prolonged drought and heat waves have accelerated evaporation and caused waterways to dry out.
HOW:
DW.com - Dredging efforts are underway to maintain a navigable channel on the Danube, although it is narrower than usual.
AP News - The low water levels have forced popular cruise ships to dock far upriver, while cargo ships have stopped operating nearly entirely, according to Hungary’s Ministry of Transport and Investment.
AP News - The low water levels have forced cruise ships to dock upriver and cargo ships to stop operating nearly entirely.
AP News - Authorities closed the Margaret Bridge in Budapest after a World War II bomb was exposed by receding water levels.
(UPDATED July 30, 2026 22:25 UTC)
Hungary's Paks nuclear plant has reduced its output by fifty percent at reactor two and will shut down entirely for the first time in 44 years due to low water levels. Meanwhile, the Romanian Energy Ministry planned to shut down the second reactor at the Cernavoda nuclear plant because of unfavorable hydraulic conditions but managed to keep it running overnight. As parts of the Danube in Romania are already one meter below the navigable minimum, dredging efforts are currently underway to maintain a navigable channel, although it remains narrower than usual.
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(UPDATED July 30, 2026 19:31 UTC)
The Danube River is expected to continue receding in the coming days, with no significant rain on the horizon and temperatures predicted to soar above 38 degrees Celsius. In Romania, the water flow has dropped to 1,630 cubic meters per second, which is about a third of the usual average for July, leading to popular cruise ships docking far upriver and cargo operations nearly ceasing altogether. Meanwhile, the Viking Ullur cruise ship's passengers have run out of food and water after the vessel was unable to reach the port in Vidin due to running aground on a shallow shoal, and the Paks nuclear plant in Hungary has begun powering down a reactor due to restricted cooling-water supplies.
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(UPDATED July 30, 2026 16:33 UTC)
The Danube River is facing unprecedented low water levels due to severe drought, with Budapest recording just 23 centimeters, significantly below the previous low of 33 centimeters set in 2018. This situation has led to the shutdown of a reactor unit at the Cernavoda power plant in Romania for safety reasons and the Paks nuclear plant in Hungary powering down a reactor due to restricted cooling-water supplies. Additionally, police evacuated 186 tourists from a cruise ship that ran aground near Vidin, Bulgaria, as hundreds of boats remain stranded near Novi Sad, Serbia, highlighting the widespread impact of this environmental crisis.