RHINE LEVEL FALLS BELOW 1947 RECORD LOW

AMSTERDAM, AUGUST 10 /SRNA – RIA Novosti/ – The water level of the Rhine in the eastern part of the Netherlands has fallen below the record low recorded in 1947, Dutch broadcaster NOS reported.

At the Lobith border crossing, where the river enters the Netherlands from Germany, the river’s average flow over the previous 24 hours fell to 614 cubic meters per second, according to the report. In 1947, the daily flow was 620 cubic meters per second.

The decline in the Rhine’s water level was caused by early snowmelt in the Swiss Alps, as well as insufficient rainfall, the broadcaster reported, adding that the decline is likely to continue due to the ongoing heatwave and drought in Western Europe.