Warsaw. Vistula, the lowest river level in the history of measurements

The Vistula River has reached a record low water level in Warsaw. On Thursday it was 29 centimetres, on Friday 28, and on Saturday, September 7 at 7.20 p.m. the water meter at the hydrological station Warsaw-Bulwary showed 26 centimeters, which equaled the “inglorious record”. It took only a few hours to defeat it.

According to morning – Sunday measurements – the water meter showed 25 centimeters. This is the lowest result since measurements were taken.

– Since 2015, we have been facing the effects of hydrological drought, which occurs cyclically. Considering the fact that in recent years we have seen increased development of the capital's passenger shipping, the number of vessels is growing, and consequently the number of people willing to travel, such crises are much more visible – this is how Jan Piotrowski, the plenipotentiary of the president of Warsaw for the Vistula River, commented on the interruption in ferry services. He added that “most of the vessels floating on the Warsaw section of the Vistula are traditional boats, which are flat-bottomed and prepared for cyclical changes in the water level in the river”.

– We are talking about a river that is not regulated in principle. The fact that one year a ferry sailed along such a route does not mean that it will sail in the same way next year. The bottom is constantly subject to erosion, with the floods various things come, and obstacles on the bottom move. Every year we struggle with this situation and the truth is that the climate is changing, water is decreasing, and human interference in nature and natural processes cause such droughts to occur – he explained.

IMGW hydrologist Michał Sikora emphasized that the situation on other rivers in the country is also not good. 69 percent of water gauge stations record the low water zone, which is less than usual. 27 percent of rivers are in the medium water zone, and only four percent are in the high water level. – We have 44 warnings of hydrological drought – Sikora said.

Asked about the outlook for the coming days, he replied that forecasters do not currently see “significant prospects for improving this situation.” On the contrary, due to high temperatures and lack of precipitation, the situation “will worsen in the coming days.”