The water level of the Rhine in Germany experienced a rise this Saturday thanks to the rains, after having dropped in recent weeks to the point of making navigation difficult and with it, the transport of crucial raw materials for industry.
The Federal Administration for Waterways and Navigation (WSV) reported that in Kaub - a critical point for navigation that marks the passage from the Upper to the Middle Rhine - the level of the river rose this Saturday to 44 centimeters.
Yesterday, Friday, the indicator, which should not be confused with the depth of the water at the deepest point of the river bed (in Kaub, 1.45 meters), had reached 35, just a few centimeters from completely making it impossible to navigation.
The WSV forecasts that the water level will continue to rise until next Tuesday and then drop again throughout the week, when another heat wave is expected in western Germany, so the relief from rain will be transient nature.
Even so, according to German media, the rising waters have allowed the ferry service to cross the Rhine in Nierstein (west), which had been interrupted a week ago, to resume operation, forcing motorists to take long detours.
The shallow depth of the waters has forced companies in the logistics sector to use shallower vessels and reduce the load, in a transport route that roads and railways cannot completely replace due to lack of capacity.
This has led the industry to sound the alarm, in memory of 2018, when the lowest levels in the Rhine ever recorded forced in part to restrict production due to lack of raw materials and fuel.
In the current context of uncertainty in the markets and energy crisis, the impact of another similar drought is feared greater, and the president of the German central bank, Joachim Nagel, cited this Saturday the situation of the Rhine among the factors that could push the country to recession ahead of next winter.
