A drought that has lasted for months in the US has resulted in the water level of the Mississippi River being significantly lower than normal at this time of year. The result: the almost 3,800 kilometer long electricity is currently no longer available as a transport route in many places.
In the city of Cape Girardeau, on the west bank of the Mississippi, the water level is currently just below 1.70 meters, American media report. Due to low tide, inland vessels increasingly have to reduce their loads to avoid running aground.
Transport costs for farmers are increasing
This is a monumental task for American grain farmers, who are just beginning the harvest season. Levels have dropped “to the point where barge lines have started limiting the draft of their freighters,” said Adam Thomas, commercial director of SEMO Milling, the southernmost dry corn mill in the United States. This means that farmers’ transportation costs rise and their profits shrink.
Mississippi is currently unavailable as a transportation route in many places, shipping traffic is severely limited, and the risk of ships running aground in mud and sandbars in shallow water increases. And that’s not the only concern for people living along North America’s second-longest river: About 50 towns along the Mississippi get their drinking water from the river.
“We are all waiting for rain”
Things aren’t looking good right now for Midwestern farmers shipping corn and soybeans downstream to the Gulf of Mexico, Thomas said. “We are all waiting for rain in the north to raise river levels as farmers try to store their crops.”
According to Louisiana’s leading climate scientist, Barry D. Keim, there is no danger yet of the Mississippi drying out completely. “It would take a massive drought, probably decades, to completely dry up the Mississippi. “That’s just not going to happen,” he said in October 2022.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
