Serbia is carrying out large-scale dredging operations on the Danube: almost all of the country's capacities are involved
The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of Serbia said that the country has used almost all its capacities to carry out dredging works on the Danube in the area of the city of Novi Sad, Assistant Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Veljko Kovacevic said.
The works are being carried out near the second largest Serbian city, Novi Sad. Usually, the shipping channel in that area is several hundred meters wide. However, due to the drought, the navigable part has shrunk to a narrow strip that remains open only thanks to dredging.
"We have used almost all of our dredging capabilities... We are fighting with all our might to make the waterways navigable along their entire length," Kovacevich said.
According to meteorological data, the water depth in the Danube is less than half of the usual August level.
Also a low moatwater in the rivers threatens wildlife and fishing, said Maria Trivuncevych from the fishing association of the province of Vojvodina.
"Over the past few months, we have had situations where the water level approached the biological minimum," she said.
As a result of the drought, which is aggravated by abnormal heat, the water level in many European rivers has decreased. For example, the water level in the most important for Europe's transport industry, the Rhine River, has dropped to a new low in its key section.