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Amid the persistent record-breaking heat wave, several countries have faced a serious water crisis.

A foreign media outlet recently reported that the water level of the Danube, one of the largest rivers in Europe, is the lowest in history.

According to the measurement made by the relevant sector of Hungary on July 30, its water level was 10 centimetres lower than the lowest one recorded in 2018. It is predicted to become lower as the temperature is expected to keep rising in the future.

According to the hydro-meteorological service of Croatia, the water level of the river near a city was 24 centimetres lower than the lowest one observed in 2022. As the river rapidly shrank, the debris of a cargo ship which had sunk about 90 years ago has reportedly come into view.

As the river’s water level fell drastically, Hungary and Romania had to stop the operation of nuclear power plants due to the lack of water needed to cool the reactors. In a port city in Bulgaria, the fall in the river’s water level led even to the running aground of an excursion ship.

The Rhine has recorded the lowest water level in history due to the persistent drought in the Netherlands.

In northern Italy, severe drought has persisted because of the prolonged heat wave and decrease in the precipitation, creating a great risk to the supply of irrigation water.

In a city of Portugal, the water quantity of a reservoir dropped to about 10% of its storage capacity as water consumption peaked due to the sustained heat wave.

The water shortage crisis is becoming more serious with each passing day in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. Saying that the water resources of the city are being drastically reduced due to the impact of climate change, a broadcasting company of the country expressed concern that the water crisis caused by the decreasing underground water and increasing population will pose a serious challenge to the development of the capital city in the future. Kabul has suffered from the shortage of domestic water for several years, and despite the authorities' efforts to improve the water supply situation, the problem has not yet been dissolved.

In Somalia, too, more than 570 000 people are suffering from water shortage due to severe drought.

At present, three-quarters of the world population reportedly live in the areas classified as “water instability” or “serious water instability”. In particular, 4 billion people suffer from water shortage for at least one month in a year.

It is the unanimous comment of experts that the water problem has now gone beyond the stage of crisis due to the ever-worsening climate change and water pollution.

The worsening water shortage is hindering the global economic development and grain production and threatening the existence of mankind.