The CEO of the state-owned Hrvatske Vode waterways management company, Zoran Djurokovic, "warned about river navigation restrictions due to a long drought which has brought water levels close to historic lows," state agency Hina reported on Monday, citing an interview he gave RTL television.

Low water levels impact river navigation, groundwater tributaries, and fish stocks, but there are no major problems for now, he told RTL television on Sunday.

River water levels across Croatia are extremely low, but mostly some 40 cm above historic lows. The level of the Sava in Zagreb is -298 cm, 40 cm above the historical minimum recorded in 1993 (-338 cm). “The situation is similar with the Danube and the Kupa river, but the situation is most serious in Osijek, where the Drava river is a mere 15 cm above the record minimum,” Djurokovic said.

“One should add to that the increase in water temperatures, but the situation in Croatia is good compared to other parts of Europe,” he added.

He said he did not expect “something alarming” to happen in Croatia due to the low river water levels despite forecasts of new heat waves with minimal rainfall.

“We can expect to come close to historic lows, but the damage in Croatia will be minimal. We don’t use large quantities of water for irrigation, which would additionally burden rivers, as it is with the river Po in Italy,” he said.