‘The worst in 500 years’: Europe’s great drought, explained

Subject :Geography

Section: Physical Geography

European media has been full of dramatic pictures of drying, exposed riverbeds. Some of Europe’s biggest rivers — Rhine, Po, Loire, Danube — which are usually formidable waterways, are unable to support even mid-sized boats.
After the record-breaking summer heat, 2022 may be the worst drought year in Europe in 500 years. China, US too are facing drought.
Apart from agriculture and drinking water supplies, the most visible impact has been the disruption in Europe’s waterways. Europe depends heavily on its rivers to move cargo in an economical manner, including coal to power plants. With water levels down to less than a metre in some stretches, most large ships have been rendered unusable.

Global Drought Observatory (GDO)

An agency of the European Commission released an “analytical report” on Tuesday where it said about 64% of the continent’s landmass was experiencing drought conditions, as per data available till August 10. And the situation was only “worsening” as of that date, it said.

Po (river)

The Po is the longest river in Italy. It flows eastward across northern Italy starting from the Cottian Alps.
The river’s length is either 652 km (405 mi) or 682 km (424 mi), if the Maira, a right bank tributary, is included.
The headwaters of the Po are a spring seeping from a stony hillside at Pian del Re, a flat place at the head of the Val Po under the northwest face of Monviso.
The Po then extends along the 45th parallel north before ending at a delta projecting into the Adriatic Sea near Venice.
Source – Monte Viso , Mouth – Adriatic Sea

Loire

The Loire is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world.
With a length of 1,006 kilometres (625 mi), it drains 117,054 km2 (45,195 sq mi), more than a fifth of France’s land while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône.
Source – Massif Central Mouth – Atlantic Ocean

Rhine and Danube already covered