Falling Danube Levels Continue to Disrupt Navigation in Bulgaria

Jerusalem, 11 August, 2026 (TPS-IL) -- Ruse, Bulgaria (BTA) – The level of the Danube River at the water gauge in Ruse reached minus 114 cm below the conditional zero after a new drop of 3 cm over the past 24 hours. The hydrological situation in the Bulgarian section of the river remains complicated, the Executive Agency for the Study and Maintenance of the Danube River (IAPPD) announced.

At most water gauges, a decrease in levels of between 1-3 cm was recorded, and stagnation was registered at Oryahovo. The trend towards permanently low water levels continues, with restrictions on vessel navigation remaining in force for the entire Bulgarian section of the Danube.

According to information from the River Supervision Directorate, a vessel has been stranded in the Lom region in the last 24 hours. However, it is not obstructing navigation. At the end of last week, a self-propelled vessel was briefly stranded in the Belene Island region.

Low water levels continue to hamper navigation and impose restrictions in critical sections of the river. In recent days, the minimum measured depth at Batin and Belene is about 1.6 m, and in the remaining sections – 1.8 m and more.