UPDATE: Poland's longest river drops to record low levels

Poland's Vistula River has reached a historic low, with water levels at the Warsaw-Bulwary monitoring station dropping to just 20 centimeters, according to data from the state-run Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMGW).

A drone photo showing the low water level of the Vistula River near Kępa Zawadowska in Warsaw, September 8.

Photo: PAP/Leszek Szymański

The drought extends beyond the Vistula, with more than a third of the country's 600 hydrological stations reporting drought conditions.

An alarming 70 percent of Poland's rivers have experienced low water levels in recent days, a direct result of a series of heatwaves.

While temperatures are expected to fall midweek and upcoming rain may help replenish the rivers, experts warn that this recurring problem has persisted every summer since 2015.

(ał/gs)

Click on the audio player above for a report by Radio Poland's Marcin Matuszewski.