Amid a relentless stretch of hot, dry weather, the Vistula River—Poland’s longest and most significant waterway—has dropped to unprecedented levels, setting off alarm bells among environmentalists, city officials, and water authorities.
This week, water levels at Warsaw’s riverfront boulevards plunged to just 19 centimeters, according to data from Poland’s Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMGW-PIB). The reading breaks last year’s record of 20 cm and stands in stark contrast to typical seasonal levels of around 230 cm. Similarly worrying figures were recorded in other parts of the capital, with Nadwiślańska district seeing just 49 cm—well below the usual 130 cm.
The extreme drop is being blamed on a prolonged drought that has gripped much of Poland. Rainfall has been scarce and irregular, with bursts of heavy, localized storms offering little relief for parched soil. As Agnieszka Prasek, spokesperson for IMGW-PIB, explained in a recent interview, dry ground conditions have prevented moisture from seeping into the earth, causing water to run off the surface rather than replenish reserves.
Hydrological drought conditions now cover most of the country, and forecasts show little change ahead. Meteorologists are expecting temperatures to remain high through July and into August, with parts of Poland likely to see peaks of 35°C or higher. The broader European region has not been spared either, with several countries, including France and Spain, facing their own climate-related emergencies.
In Warsaw, where over 70% of the city’s water supply is sourced from the Vistula, authorities have assured residents that there is no immediate threat to water security. “We’re monitoring the situation continuously,” said Jolanta Maliszewska, a representative from the Municipal Water and Sewage Company (MPWiK), which also draws from Zegrze Lake. Emergency measures are ready should conditions worsen, she added.
Still, concerns are mounting. Jan Piotrowski, Warsaw’s mayoral envoy on Vistula affairs, noted that the city has been working to adapt to increasingly frequent droughts, including by introducing vegetation to previously concrete riverbanks to enhance water retention.
Environmental warnings have escalated, with IMGW-PIB predicting continued water level declines in the days ahead and issuing forest fire advisories for large swathes of the country, some of which now face “extreme” fire risk.
