Heatwave causes major rivers in Germany, Italy and UK to run dry

Parts of Europe are experiencing their worst drought in seven decades

Rivers across Europe are drying up in a continent-wide heatwave which has seen south-east England endure its longest dry spell in nearly 50 years.

Water levels on the Rhine, which serves as a major shipping lane and is vital to the German economy, have plummeted to the point that trade on some sections is at risk of being halted.

Parts of the River Po, Italy’s longest waterway, have completely disappeared, leaving the riverbed exposed. A Second World War bomb was found embedded in the mud in the river's worst drought in 70 years.

The River Doubs on the Swiss-French border has dried up amid a record drought which has seen its famed waterfall reduced to a trickle.

London's Thames River is also running low due to record-breaking temperatures and months of little rainfall. The source of the waterway has dried up, moving 8 kilometres downstream from its official starting point.

Thames Water, which serves 15 million customers in the capital and the Thames Valley, has warned it may need to impose restrictions unless rain comes soon. So far, it has resisted pressure to issue a ban on hosepipes, instead saying households should “use water wisely”.

The company said demand was at its highest in more than 25 years.

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  Boats are stuck in the dried-up bed of the drought-hit Doubs river on the border with France in Les Brenets, Switzerland. Reuters

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  People look at the dried-up Saut du Doubs waterfall in Les Brenets, Switzerland. Reuters

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  Young plants grow in the dried mud of the exposed bed of the Rhine near Pfalzgrafenstein Castle in Kaub, Germany. Bloomberg

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  A cow stands in a dried-out field in Villeneuve-en-Retz, as a record drought hits France. Reuters

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  Italy's dried-up River Po, which has been suffering from the worst drought in 70 years. Reuters

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  Sunflowers suffer from the lack of water in Beaumont du Gatinais, France. AP

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  A farmer pumps water in a river near Wellin, southern Belgium. EPA

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  Cows graze in drought-stricken fields near Les Brenets, Switzerland. AFP

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  Cracked earth surrounds a lake with low water levels on a buffalo reserve in Morahalom, Hungary. Bloomberg

“At times the demand can outstrip our capacity to treat water and hence we have been promoting the need to use water wisely to ensure we can maintain supplies for all,” Thames Water said in a statement on Monday.

“Our reservoirs have fallen below average for this time of year. This is due to the fact that nine out of the last 11 months have been drier than average, with underground aquifers and flows in the rivers, which we rely on for water, also lower than expected for this time of year.”

Forecasters have said Britain is in for an “unusually dry” August and England's south-east is in the grips of its longest dry spell in nearly 50 years.

Much of Europe is also on the brink of disruption to everyday life due to the heatwave.

“Amid a long spell of dry weather, water levels of the River Rhine have fallen far below average this summer,” Salomon Fiedler, an economist at Berenberg Bank, warned last week.

The Rhine rises in the Swiss Alps and runs along the border with Liechtenstein, Austria and Germany before defining the Franco-German boundary and running into western Germany.

July brought record-breaking temperatures to the UK, surpassing 40°C in some spots.

As a new heatwave looms, the UK’s Met Office has issued a four-day amber warning for extreme temperatures in parts of England and Wales.

Meteorologists have predicted temperatures could reach 35°C in some areas between Thursday and Sunday.

The Met Office said the searing heat poses risks to the health of vulnerable and elderly people, while the wider population could also be affected.

Delays to travel are possible and there is an increased risk of water accidents and fires as more people visit coasts and beauty spots, the Met Office added.

The UK Health Security Agency has already issued an amber alert covering southern and central England from noon on Tuesday until 6pm on Saturday, with experts advising people to look out for those who are older or with existing health conditions, as well as young children.