Czech water managers confront unprecedented drought as river basins dry up

Severe drought across the Czech Republic continues to pressure water infrastructure and river basins, creating conditions previously not anticipated until 2050, according to water management officials.

With water levels at the Orlík reservoir dropping roughly one metre per week, the Vltava River Authority has prepared contingency plans to draw on emergency reserves from the Slapy dam—a measure modelled to occur only once every 50 years. Simultaneously, hydrologists warn that parts of southern Moravia and the Elbe basin face desertification risks as groundwater and surface flows deplete in tandem.

While state officials have proposed accelerating reservoir construction, environmental researchers stress that new dams cannot counteract dried-up river networks. Experts maintain that long-term resilience requires systemic landscape water retention and agricultural adaptation rather than expanded storage capacity alone.

Sources: Český rozhlas Plus, Deník N, Hospodářské noviny, iROZHLAS, Seznam Zprávy.