Danube at Bezdan Rises 16 cm, Still Near Record Low
RHMZ measured -159 cm at Bezdan today, 16 centimeters higher than yesterday. After the historic low of -172 cm recorded on September 10, the level remains deep in low water territory.
The Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia (RHMZ) measured the Danube’s water level at Bezdan at -159 centimeters on Monday, September 14. That is 16 centimeters higher than the previous day, when the same gauging station recorded -175 centimeters.
The rise has continued for several days, but the level remains far into low water territory. Ten days earlier, at six a.m. on September 10, the gauge read -172 centimeters, a mark that Igor Kolakovic, director of the water management company JVP Vode Vojvodine, called a new historic low at the time.
At the entry profile near Bezdan, at six o’clock this morning, the Danube’s water level was measured at minus 172 centimeters, which represents a new historic low.
Kolakovic made the statement to Tanjug on September 10, noting that earlier forecasts had not predicted the Danube would fall to that level, which is why every subsequent RHMZ forecast was being watched closely.
The sources do not fully agree. The portal 025.rs reported that on September 12 the water level at Bezdan stood at -180 centimeters, lower than the level Kolakovic had described as a historic low just two days earlier. Neither 025.rs nor Tanjug explains the discrepancy. According to 025.rs, September 13 brought a five centimeter recovery to -175 centimeters, with a flow rate of 700 cubic meters per second and a water temperature of 21.1 degrees. The portal VojvodinaMeteo recorded -157 centimeters at Bezdan at 10 a.m. this morning, two centimeters above the official RHMZ figure for the same day.
What the Forecast Shows Through September 18
For Bezdan, RHMZ forecasts -153 centimeters for Tuesday, -157 for Wednesday, -160 for Thursday and -151 for Friday, September 18. The agency assesses that the Danube downstream of Backa Palanka is stagnant with a slight decline, with a tendency toward stagnation and a modest rise over the next four days.
For Novi Sad, the forecast runs from -50 centimeters tomorrow to -30 centimeters on September 17, then back to -32 centimeters on September 18. In Smederevo, where the Danube’s upstream flow has already pushed the level to plus 411 centimeters, RHMZ expects a further rise to 435 centimeters by the end of the forecast period.
Other Danube readings recorded today: Bogojevo and Backa Palanka both at -78 centimeters, Slankamen at 12, Zemun at 161, and Pancevo at 208 centimeters. VojvodinaMeteo measured 209 centimeters at Pancevo at 10 a.m.
RHMZ assesses that the Danube, Tisa, Sava and Velika Morava rivers remain in low value territory for this time of year. The Sava is stagnant today, with a rise forecast to begin tomorrow.
Pumping Stations Still Operating Under Emergency Protocol
Kolakovic said the Bezdan and Bogojevo pumping stations are operating under the same regime as over the past month and a half. Bezdan is running on a single unit at reduced capacity, backed by eight mobile pumps installed on the earthen barrier along the supply canal, which move water from the Danube’s level to the section in front of the pumping station. Bogojevo is running two units and is feeding about eight cubic meters of fresh water per second into the southern part of the hydro system, with a warning that a further drop in the Danube could reduce intake capacity.
The Danube’s low inflow has spilled over into the energy sector in recent months as well. Energy Minister Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic said in Kragujevac on September 9 that Danube inflows over the summer had been historically low, which is why about 250,000 tons of coal are being transported by rail and through the Port of Bar during the season, instead of by river, which normally carries most of that cargo.
