Most people on the planet depend on rivers for drinking water purposes, irrigating food crops, generating power and transporting goods, among others. However, the climate crisis, caused mainly by human activity, is fueling extreme weather across the globe resulting in water levels in some of the world’s major rivers dropping significantly. The current heat waves are also drying up rivers in the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Many of these rivers are shrinking in length and breadth, with patches of riverbed poking out above the water, causing them to become virtually impassable. These include: Colorado River (United States), Yangtze River (China), Rhine River (Germany), River Po (Italy), Loire River (France), and the River Danube in Western Europe that passes through ten countries.
The Yangtze River in China is the world’s third longest river that supports about a third of the country’s population. However, falling water levels have resulted in parts of the river being at least 16 feet below normal which is the lowest level in recorded history. A previously submerged island has also emerged revealing three Buddhist statues believed to be 600 years old. One of the statues depicts a monk sitting on a lotus pedestal. The heatwaves are the most extreme in six decades and have seen temperatures regularly exceeding 40 degrees Celsius or 104 degrees Fahrenheit in several cities in China.