What is the current water level of the Drava near Osijek?

At 9 a.m. on Wednesday, the water level was -194 centimeters, the lowest level ever recorded.

What is the usual flow of the Drava near Osijek?

The usual flow is 3,000 cubic meters per second, while the current flow has dropped to only 250 cubic meters per second.

What does the low water level mean for the environment?

According to Željko Kovačević from Hrvatske vode, this is a biological extreme that leads to empty channels and tributaries, and in the long term, it can cause side channels to dry up.

Will the situation improve soon?

No immediate improvement is expected because a heat wave is forecast for Thursday instead of rain, which could lead to a further drop in water levels.

Local

Drava in Osijek Breaks Record: Never Lower, at -194 Centimeters

B.L. · Prije 2 dana | 2 min

The water level of the Drava River near Osijek reached a historic low of -194 centimeters on Wednesday morning, breaking the record set just 18 days ago.

Summary

The Drava near Osijek reached -194 centimeters at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, the lowest water level ever recorded.
The previous record of -192 centimeters was set just on August 1.
The flow has dropped from the usual 3,000 to only 250 cubic meters per second.
The director of Hrvatske vode warns of a biological extreme and the drying up of side channels.

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The Drava River near Osijek reached a water level of -194 centimeters at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, marking the lowest level ever recorded. This surpasses the previous record of -192 centimeters, set just on August 1 this year, as reported by Osijek Express.

Biological Extreme for Side Channels and Tributaries

Željko Kovačević, director of the VGO for the Danube and Lower Drava at Hrvatske vode, had already warned at a water level of -188 centimeters that the situation was extreme and represented a biological minimum.

"This is an unfavorable situation for side channels and tributaries. When average water levels are absent, we have completely empty channels and tributaries. That's not good. And when this becomes a multi-year trend, side channels start to die out. There's no specific threshold, if you're asking, when it becomes unsustainable. This is a biological extreme," Kovačević said for OsijekExpress.com.

Flow Drops from 3,000 to 250 Cubic Meters

Kovačević explained that at this moment, with such a low water level, the flow near Osijek is only 250 cubic meters per second, while the usual flow is 3,000 cubic meters per second.

He also commented on the reservoirs upstream from Osijek, near Varaždin, saying they have little to do with this situation. "They have operating regimes where they must retain water, but that's not pleasant for them either. It does have an impact on the water level, certainly, but there's always a flow through the hydroelectric plants," he added.

Heat Wave Instead of Rain

The bad news doesn't end here: instead of rain that could improve the situation, a heat wave is forecast for Osijek on Thursday. This means that record-low levels of the Drava could be repeated in the coming days.