RHINE WATER LEVEL FALLS TO NEW HISTORIC LOW

BERLIN, SEPTEMBER 29 /SRNA/ - The water level of the Rhine, one of Europe's busiest rivers, has fallen to a new low, disrupting transport and production, according to official data from the inland navigation agency.

According to the agency's data, the water level at the measuring station near Kaub, close to the city of Koblenz, fell to zero late last night before rising slightly to five centimeters early this morning.

An unnamed agency spokesman said last week that the records recorded in September had yet to be officially confirmed, but that unverified raw data indicated that historic records had been broken.

The riverbed lies more than one meter below the level shown by the measuring station, which is traditionally used to measure the local water level.

The low water level of the Rhine has become a burden on the German economy, particularly the chemical industry, as it limits barge traffic for companies such as BASF, Bayer and Covestro.

Experts warn that if the water level at Kaub falls below 78 centimeters and remains at that level for 30 consecutive days, as was the case in 2022 and 2018, German industrial production typically declines by around one per cent.

Nevertheless, the German economy as a whole has proved more resilient than expected, growth forecasts have been revised upwards, and business sentiment is improving despite high energy prices and logistical bottlenecks.

"It is unlikely that low water levels will be merely a one-off occurrence," said Torsten Schmidt, chief economist at the RWI institute.

He added that climate change raises the fundamental question of whether production facilities will have to be relocated from sites along the river.