Rhine water levels continue to drop: Hotel ships may have to pause in the Middle Rhine Valley

On the Rhine section between Budenheim near Mainz and St. Goar opposite the Loreley rock, a minimum depth of the fairway of 1.90 meters is guaranteed according to the WSA; elsewhere it is often 2.10 meters. Many cargo ships have long been unable to navigate this section with a full load; during severe low water, the possible cargo of a cargo ship can drop to a quarter of the usual amount, in the concrete image of the industry: cargo ships are then „mit 25 Prozent der möglichen Ladung unterwegs“.

The Bundesverband der Binnenschifffahrt (Federal Association of Inland Navigation) in Duisburg stated that ships generally continue to operate as long as this is physically and safely possible. Unlike during high water, the responsible federal waterway and shipping authority (WSV) does not impose official closures during low water. According to the association, there is no official closure of the Rhine due to low water. Nevertheless, with a view to further falling water levels, special agreements are being made in advance with freight customers, for example regarding the delivery of larger quantities while the water levels are still higher, in order to ensure the supply of raw materials and goods.

Alternative route via the Moselle

The WSA sees an alternative route for cabin ships. Krekel explained that the ships could change their route and, for example, switch to the Moselle near Koblenz, because there are fewer problems with low water there due to lock structures. According to the office, the federal plans to deepen the fairway between Budenheim and St. Goar, the so-called Abladeoptimierung (draught optimization), will still take years.

Forest fire danger at warning level 4

In addition to shipping, the drought is also worsening the forest fire situation in Hesse. With rising temperatures and a lack of rain, the risk of forest fires has been rising continuously since mid-May. According to the forest fire danger index of the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD, German Weather Service), warning level 4 – the second-highest level that exists – could already be reached at the weekend. If it does not rain, level 5 could also prevail in the coming week around the Rhine-Main area.

In the south of Hesse, the forest fire danger is accordingly greater than in the north. According to the DWD assessment, it is particularly high around Bad Nauheim, Oberursel, Hanau, Frankfurt, and Darmstadt. In Romrod (Vogelsberg), a forest fire in this situation damaged around one hectare of forest and kept the fire brigade busy for almost an entire weekend; negligent arson is suspected as the cause.

Barbecue bans and water extraction restrictions

Several cities and municipalities have therefore banned open-fire grilling at the end of June – including in Frankfurt, Marburg, and Bad Vilbel. The ban applies to all public barbecue areas in the forest as well as outside it, regardless of whether it involves charcoal, electric, or gas grills. The city of Wiesbaden announced that law enforcement officers will inspect the areas.

At the same time, municipalities and counties are tightening the rules on water extraction. The Darmstadt-Dieburg district has imposed a water extraction ban from Friday: pumping water from rivers or streams to water the garden is thus prohibited. Watering livestock remains permitted according to the district. The same applies in the Schwalm-Eder district, where it is now prohibited to extract water from streams, rivers, or lakes; excepted are the Eder and the Fulda from the Eder confluence toward Kassel. The measure serves to protect animal and plant life, according to the district. In most other districts and independent cities in Hesse, such a ban has been in place for some time, for example in the districts of Kassel, Werra-Meißner, Rheingau-Taunus, and Fulda. The districts of Marburg-Biedenkopf and Offenbach are calling on people to save water.