North Rhine-Westphalia: Little improvement expected for the Rhine

Pulled out by the drought, the Rhine carries only little water.

North Rhine-Westphalia: Little improvement expected for the Rhine

Pulled out by the drought, the Rhine carries only little water. At the northernmost level in Germany, this leads to a low and even to readings below zero. The little rain that has fallen recently will probably not strengthen the Rhine in the long term.

Duisburg (dpa/lnw) - The Rhine has shrunk to a record low level at the northernmost measuring point in Germany due to a long drought and is unlikely to be revived in the long term by the recent rainfall. After the clear decline in the water level of the Rhine in recent weeks, the Rhine Waterways and Shipping Authority expects only a small wave with slightly rising water levels in the next few days. However, the Federal Office is not assuming a fundamental trend reversal, as made clear in a statement on low water on Tuesday.

For the Emmerich level just before the Dutch border, a record low was determined on Tuesday at 9 a.m. with a negative level of minus one centimeter. The historical low water marks of October 30, 2018 have been undercut at this measuring point since Monday noon. At the same time, the water level in Duisburg-Ruhrort was 154 centimeters, just one centimeter above the previous low. In Cologne, it was only two centimeters higher at 71 centimetres. What is unusual is that such lows are already reached in summer and thus very early in the course of the year.

The water levels are not to be confused with the lowest point in the river. The fairways for commercial shipping are significantly deeper than the water level according to the gauge. This only shows the difference between the water surface and the so-called zero level, which is not at the deepest point of the river bed. On Monday, for example, the fairway near Emmerich was still 1.95 meters deep when the level was minus one centimeter. At the same time in Cologne it was 1.82 meters and in Duisburg-Ruhrort 2.01 meters in the Rhine fairway.

According to the forecast of the Rhine Waterways and Shipping Office, a small wave is coming from the Upper Rhine. The office announced on Tuesday that it would lead to a slight rise in water levels on the Middle Rhine. This will also affect the levels on the Lower Rhine in the next few days. The 14-day forecast indicates that the water levels will drop again slightly after the wave has passed. Below Duisburg-Ruhrort, however, a further drop in water levels of a few centimeters is predicted for the next few days.

The water levels on the Middle and Lower Rhine are at an exceptionally low level for this time of year. They are the result of a lack of precipitation in recent weeks and months. Overall, despite slight increases, the water levels continued to be in the range of an average low water level, the Rhine Waterways and Shipping Office explained in the statement.