A former eel fishing boat covered in mud sits at the banks of the river Rhine as the water levels fall near Neuss, Germany, on Tuesday. | REUTERS
AFP-JIJI
Aug 6, 2026
Frankfurt, Germany – Dwindling water levels on some of Germany’s major rivers, worsened by heat and drought, are raising fears that badly constrained riverboat cargo traffic may deal yet another blow to the struggling economy.
The Rhine riverbed is partially dry near steelmaker Thyssenkrupp’s blast furnaces in the city of Duisburg, exemplifying how the low waters pose a new challenge for German industry.
The mighty waterway also winds past car factories, chemical plants and big river ports as it passes through the industrial heartland of Europe’s biggest economy.
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