The water level in the Rhine near Cologne has fallen to a record low, as the prolonged dry weather continues to affect one of Europe's busiest inland waterways. This was reported by Deutsche Presse-Agentur, writes UNN.
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On Saturday morning, the water level at the Cologne measuring station was 68 centimeters — 1 centimeter below the previous record low of 69 centimeters recorded on October 23, 2018. This was reported by the German Waterways and Shipping Administration.
The water level is expected to rise slightly later in the day.
Downstream, at another key navigation point in Duisburg-Ruhrort, the water level has again dropped to the previous record low of 153 centimeters for the first time. Authorities now expect it to remain at this level rather than fall further, contrary to earlier forecasts.
Although the readings from measuring stations do not reflect the actual depth of the river, the shipping industry uses them to determine the permissible loading of vessels. Low water levels can force ships to carry smaller cargo volumes or even suspend voyages.