Drought in Kopački Rit: Canals Dry Up, Boat Tours Canceled
A prolonged heatwave has dried up the canals and floodplain meadows of the nature park, revealing a completely new face of the European Amazon that visitors can explore on foot.
A prolonged heatwave has dried up the canals and floodplain meadows of the nature park, revealing a completely new face of the European Amazon that visitors can explore on foot.
The prolonged dry spell and heatwave that hit eastern Croatia have left a visible mark on Kopački Rit. This nature park in Osijek-Baranja County, which is fed by the Danube and Drava rivers, now presents a completely different picture from what visitors are accustomed to.
Mario Spajić from Hrvatske vode explained to HRT Magazine the actual capacity of this area. "The area of 17,100 hectares is indeed a large retention basin that, depending on the water level, can hold anywhere from 150 to as much as 500 million cubic meters of water," Spajić emphasized.
However, the current state is far from maximum. Nature warden Vatroslav Škrunjug highlighted the difference compared to periods of high water levels: "The water level now versus, say, an extremely high water level is about seven to eight meters."
Some smaller canals in the park have completely dried up, while others have only a few dozen centimeters of water left. This has directly impacted the tourist offerings, forcing some activities to be adjusted.
Hungarian tourist Aron shared his experience with HRT Magazine: "We came from Hungary and booked a small boat tour, but we were informed it was canceled due to the prolonged heat and low water levels." Instead, he and his group opted for a boat ride along the main canal.
Varja Gutert, head of the Promotion and Sales Department at Kopački Rit Nature Park, told visitors that the early morning slots are the most interesting: "We definitely want to tell our visitors that the first morning cruises are extremely interesting because nature and wildlife have their own biorhythm. In the morning, they feed and come out to fly."
Biologist-ecologist Marija Vereš explained how the ecosystem changes depending on the water level phase: "Floods benefit aquatic organisms and fish because their habitat expands, while, for example, we have a dry phase that allows terrestrial organisms to move around."
Kopački Rit thus once again demonstrates its remarkable adaptability. While animals and plants adjust to the new conditions, nature awaits the first substantial rains that will refill the rivers and bring water back to the dried-up canals.
