Europe is facing an unprecedented water crisis as record heat and prolonged lack of rainfall push rivers, reservoirs and groundwater supplies to historic lows, disrupting agriculture, transport and energy production across the continent.
The drought is already affecting millions of people, with authorities imposing water restrictions in several countries that have rarely faced shortages on this scale. The economic impact is expected to be substantial, with the immediate cost to Europe estimated at at least €50 billion ($58 billion).
The crisis is also threatening major agricultural producers. Wheat production in the European Union and the United Kingdom is expected to fall by around 24% this year, while maize, rice, soy and other crops are also suffering from extreme heat and a lack of water.
At the same time, falling river levels are disrupting freight transport and reducing the availability of water for industrial and energy facilities. In Germany, cargo ships using the Rhine are operating with significantly reduced loads, while Hungary was forced to shut down its only nuclear power plant after water levels in the Danube fell too low for normal cooling operations.
France imposes widespread water restrictions
France is among the countries hardest hit by the drought. Around 70% of the country is currently subject to some form of water restriction, while approximately 40,000 people in 80 municipalities have already experienced disruptions to their water supplies.
Authorities have placed 67 of France’s roughly 100 departments under the highest level of drought alert. Under these restrictions, water is reserved for essential uses, while activities such as filling swimming pools, watering sports fields and washing cars are prohibited.
The country has experienced its hottest and driest summer on record. Rainfall has been 67% below average, while July was the third-driest month since records began in 1959. Around 94% of groundwater reserves are below normal levels, and more than 1,000 rivers and streams have experienced severely reduced flows or have dried up completely.
French authorities estimate that the combined impact of heatwaves, wildfires and drought could cost the economy between €10 billion and €15 billion, equivalent to as much as 0.5 percentage points of GDP growth.
Agriculture is bearing much of the damage. France’s main farming union, FNSEA, expects maize production to fall by around 40%, with losses potentially reaching 70% in some regions.
The government has promised emergency support for farmers as the agricultural sector faces what officials describe as an exceptionally severe crisis.
Drought reaches 71% of England
The United Kingdom is also experiencing one of its most severe droughts in decades.
Authorities have officially declared drought conditions across 71.3% of England, following the country’s driest July since records began in 1836. Southern England experienced an even more extreme situation, receiving just 1% of its expected rainfall last month.
Around 45 million people live in areas currently classified as being in drought, while approximately 27 million are already affected by restrictions including hosepipe bans.
Officials are preparing for a “reasonable worst case” scenario that could introduce further restrictions on businesses and non-essential water use, including irrigation of sports grounds, car washing, window cleaning and filling private swimming pools.
The drought has also exposed weaknesses in Britain’s preparedness for prolonged water shortages. Only 14% of English rivers currently have flows considered normal for this time of year, while 22% have exceptionally low flows.
Low water levels are already creating potential navigation problems on rivers including the Thames, Lark and Ouse. Reservoir levels have also fallen sharply, with five already classified as being at exceptionally low capacity.
Agriculture is suffering as well. Farmers have been forced to bring forward harvesting, while livestock producers are using winter feed reserves because pastures have struggled to grow.
Germany faces crop losses and transport disruption
Germany is confronting its own combination of extreme heat, drought and wildfires.
Around three million tonnes of cereals and rapeseed have reportedly been lost since mid-June, according to the Deutscher Raiffeisenverband, representing an estimated €600 million in lost income.
The German Farmers’ Association expects wheat and rapeseed harvests to fall below average, with some southern regions potentially facing almost complete crop losses.
The effects are already being felt by consumers, with prices for vegetables including carrots, cucumbers and peppers increasing. Farmers in parts of southern Germany have also been forced to slaughter livestock earlier than planned because of depleted feed supplies.
Low river levels are creating another economic problem. The Rhine, Germany’s most important inland waterway, is experiencing exceptionally low flows, forcing authorities to consider shifting more freight from waterways to rail and road.
The move could put additional pressure on transportation networks and potentially affect the supply of fuels such as gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel.
The drought is also threatening groundwater resources, which provide around 70% of Germany’s drinking water. In parts of the Black Forest, private wells have already dried up, prompting emergency measures and the use of tanker trucks.
Italy turns to Switzerland for water
Northern Italy has been particularly badly affected, with the Po River basin at the centre of the crisis.
The Po is one of the country’s most important waterways and supports major agricultural and industrial areas. River flows and water reserves in the Alpine lakes that supply irrigation networks have fallen to extremely low levels.
The situation has become so serious that Italy and Switzerland agreed to temporarily increase the amount of water released from Lake Lugano into Lake Maggiore.
The additional water will flow through the Tresa River before eventually reaching the Po and helping supply irrigation networks serving agricultural areas in Lombardy and Piedmont, including some of Europe’s most important rice-growing regions.
The agreement is particularly notable because Switzerland itself is experiencing severe drought, making the arrangement an unusual example of cross-border cooperation over increasingly scarce water resources.
Italian agriculture has already suffered more than €3 billion in damage from drought, extreme heat, hail and wildfires, according to Coldiretti.
Rice production is among the most vulnerable sectors. Italy is the EU’s largest rice producer, with much of its production concentrated in Lombardy and Piedmont. Farmers in the worst-affected areas estimate that rice yields have fallen by around 40%.
Corn, soy, fruit, vegetables and animal feed are also being hit, while higher irrigation requirements are increasing farmers’ energy costs.
Saltwater moves deeper into the Po
The drought is creating another threat in the Po Delta.
As river flows decline, seawater from the Adriatic is moving further upstream. The saltwater intrusion has already reached around 20 kilometres inland, threatening irrigation systems and crops.
Some canals were closed at the end of June to prevent saltwater from damaging rice and maize fields.
Farmers are particularly concerned because the phenomenon has emerged much earlier than usual this year.
A warning for Europe
The drought is increasingly becoming more than an agricultural or environmental crisis. Falling water levels are disrupting supply chains, threatening electricity generation, increasing food prices and placing additional pressure on already fragile economic growth.
The situation across France, Britain, Germany and Italy illustrates how quickly extreme weather can spread through different parts of the economy.
With rivers and groundwater at historically low levels and forecasts pointing to continued pressure on water resources, Europe’s current drought is increasingly being viewed not simply as a temporary weather event, but as a warning of the challenges the continent may face more frequently in a warming climate.
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