← Mapping the World Essentials · Season 5

Europe’s Rivers: The Impact of Drought

S5 · E112 · 03 Sep 2026 · 4 min

In Romania, the Cernavodă nuclear power plant, which supplies 20% of the country’s electricity, was shut down because of the low water level of the Danube. More broadly, all European waterways are being affected by the heatwaves and droughts the continent has recently experienced. The Loire, Po, and Rhine are at red alert level. Yet Europeans cannot live without their rivers.