Europe Drought: German Industry at Risk as Rhine Level Falls

A cargo ship is sailing on the Rhine in Duesseldorf, Germany, Monday, Aug. 15, 2022. Due to the ongoing drought, the Rhine level has reached a low. The Rhine level near Cologne was 76 centimeters (low: 69 centimeters). In Düsseldorf, 34 centimeters were measured (23 centimeters). For the coming days, even further falling water levels are expected. Federico Gambarini/dpa via AP

BERLIN—Germany’s main industry lobby group warned Tuesday that factories may have to throttle production or halt it completely because plunging water levels on the Rhine River are making it harder to transport cargo.

The Rhine’s level at Emmerich, near the Dutch border, dropped by a further four centimeters (1.6 inches) in 24 hours, hitting zero on the depth gauge.