Due to the low water level, the operation of the Słonka, Pliszka and Wilga ferries is suspended until further notice – the Public Transport Authority informed.
The banks of the Vistula are connected by three free ferry crossings: Woodcock floating from Cypel Czerniakowski (floating pier) to Saska Kępa (beach), Wagtail running from the Poniatowski Bridge (waterfront) to the National Stadium (beach) and Oriole from Podzamcze Fountains (floating bridge) to the ZOO (beach).
According to data from the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management, the level of the Vistula River on the Vistula Boulevards on Sunday was 36 centimetres. Four centimetres less than the previous day. IMGW predicts that in the following days it will be 36, 34 and 32 centimetres, respectively. This means the lower limit of the low-level zone.
Hydrological drought has been going on for years
– Since 2015, we have been dealing with the effects of hydrological drought, which occurs cyclically. Considering the fact that in recent years we have seen increased development of passenger shipping in the capital, the number of vessels is growing, and consequently the number of people willing to travel, such crises are much more visible. 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 – this is how Jan Piotrowski, the plenipotentiary of the President of Warsaw for the Vistula, commented on the previous several-day break in ferry service. – We are talking about a river that is not regulated in principle. The fact that one year a ferry sailed on such a route does not mean that it will sail in the same way next year. The bottom is constantly subject to erosion, various things come with the floods, 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 mean that such droughts will continue to occur.
The lowest water level in the Vistula River was recorded in 2015 – it was only 26 centimetres.
Main image source: WTP