The Danube, a river that sustains 10 countries, is currently facing an unprecedented crisis due to record-low water levels. This has led to a multitude of issues, from destroyed crops and water shortages to an energy crisis that has forced Hungary to shut down its Danube-cooled nuclear reactors for the first time in 44 years. The situation is so dire that the 'Rock of Starvation', a legendary boulder that emerged from the river when it was low enough to expose it, has now surfaced almost in its entirety. This rock was once seen as a warning sign of impending famine and hunger, and its reappearance is a stark reminder of the devastating impact of the current drought.
The drought has had a profound impact on the lives of people living along the Danube. Farmers like István Somogyi from Pócsmegyer have lost nearly 50% of their harvest, with some estimates suggesting losses could reach 70%. The heatwaves and droughts of previous years had already offered a warning, and scientists attribute the intensification of these events to human-caused climate breakdown. The situation is so dire that families are seeking relief in the Danube's shallow waters, while military water tankers are siphoning water from rural wells to feed the local grid.
The drought has also led to the emergence of vast, desert-like islands along the Danube, with the exposed riverbed cracked like a mosaic of hard, dry clay. In some stretches of the river, it is now possible to walk through it with the water barely reaching above your ankles. This has led to the discovery of relics long hidden beneath the waters, including the remains of a woolly mammoth, a bridge destroyed after the second world war, a Nazi warship, and an unexploded British bomb.
The situation has also led to a cycling feat by Gábor Kürti, president of the Magyar Kerékpárosklub, who rode 30km along the exposed bed of the Danube on his bicycle. This journey, which quickly went viral on social media, was a powerful symbol of the climate emergency and the devastating impact of the drought.
The drought has also left some Hungarian towns struggling with shortages of drinking water. In Szentendre, thousands of bottles of water are stored in the tourist information office to be distributed to elderly and vulnerable residents. In Paks, municipal workers have been working weekends to keep more than 700 threatened trees alive and water the town's flowerbeds.
The water crisis has compounded longstanding problems for thousands of people living in marginalized and deprived areas, who were already struggling with inadequate access to running water and sewage systems. The situation is so dire that some residents have to pump water and heat it in large bowls so they can wash, while others rely on friends to bring them water once a week.
The Rock of Starvation, which has now emerged almost in its entirety, is a stark reminder of the devastating impact of the drought. While people can do little but cling to the hope that the rock will disappear once more beneath the currents of the Danube, the reality is that the drought will return next year, and there isn't much that can be done to prevent it.
