Why the Schelde Escapes Europe’s Extreme River Drought

While the Rhine and Danube face historically low water levels that have halted shipping and forced nuclear power plants offline, Belgium’s Schelde river remains remarkably resilient. According to VRT NWS, hydrologist Patrick Willems of KU Leuven says the Schelde’s water level can never drop to the critically low levels seen on Europe’s other major rivers.

A Tidal River Unlike Any Other

The Schelde is the only river in Belgium whose water level cannot fall to the extremes seen on the Rhine or Danube. Willems explains that the section between Ghent and the Dutch town of Vlissingen is uniquely protected because it is a tidal river.

“The water level of the Schelde is not only dependent on rainfall, but also on the tides of the North Sea,” Willems said. “Through ebb and flow, water flows from the sea into the Schelde.”

This tidal influence creates a fundamental difference from the Rhine and Danube, which depend primarily on rainfall and glacial meltwater from the Alps. Alpine glaciers have shrunk significantly, reducing the water flow to these rivers and exacerbating the drought crisis.

Climate Change Paradox: Rising Seas, Rising Schelde

In a counterintuitive twist, climate change may actually protect the Schelde from extreme low water levels. “Due to climate change and rising sea levels, the water flowing from the North Sea into the river will only increase,” Willems noted. “The Schelde behaves completely differently than the Rhine or the Danube. Problems with shipping like those rivers, you will never get here.”

The Crisis on the Rhine and Danube

The contrast could not be starker. The Rhine at Kaub, Germany, has reached its lowest level since 2018, with navigable depth potentially hitting its lowest point since measurements began in 1990. The Rhine at Lobith in the Netherlands has reached its lowest level ever recorded, according to Rijkswaterstaat.

The Danube is in even more dire straits. In Budapest, the river is only 23 centimeters deep in places. Hungary’s Paks nuclear power plant — the country’s only nuclear facility, providing about 40 percent of its electricity — shut down completely for the first time in 44 years due to insufficient cooling water. Nuclear reactors in Romania have also been taken offline.

A Different Kind of Problem: Saltwater Intrusion

While the Schelde avoids the worst of the low-water crisis, it faces a different challenge. Due to the persistent drought, the amount of freshwater flowing into the river has decreased dramatically, making the Schelde’s water significantly saltier.

“Due to the persistent drought, the water of the Schelde is becoming much saltier,” said Maarten Deschamps of the Hydrologisch Informatie Centrum (HIC). “That can have an impact on the fauna and flora in and along the river. There is also a lot of sediment, a combination of sand and silt, in the Schelde, and due to the change from fresh to salt water, that sediment moves.”

This salinity has practical implications. Most businesses and farmers avoid extracting water from the Schelde because they need freshwater. “Most businesses and farmers need freshwater, so they don’t take it from the Schelde anyway,” Willems noted.

Economic Ripple Effects

The low water levels on the Rhine are already having significant economic consequences. Transport economist Thierry Vanelslander of the University of Antwerp warns that the situation is becoming increasingly common. “Previously we had this very occasionally, but since 2019, 2020 we see this happening more and more often.”

Vanelslander highlighted the broader impact: “If transport via the Rhine becomes more difficult and expensive, the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam also become less competitive.” He also warned of a potential “reverse modal shift” back to road transport — something policymakers want to avoid.

Flanders’ Drought Response

Flanders has been at drought level 2 (code orange) since July 16, with the De Vlaamse Waterweg implementing measures including grouped locking, depth restrictions, and water capture reductions. The Netherlands has declared an official water shortage.

While the Schelde itself remains resilient, hydrologists caution that other waterways could face problems similar to the Rhine and Danube. The Maas river, or the upper Schelde between France and Ghent, could experience comparable low-water challenges.

What to Watch For

As Europe’s drought persists, the contrast between the Schelde’s tidal resilience and the vulnerability of the Rhine and Danube highlights the complex hydrological realities facing the continent. While the Schelde’s unique geography protects it from the worst effects, the broader drought crisis continues to affect shipping, energy production, and agriculture across Europe — challenges that are likely to intensify as climate change accelerates.