A searing heatwave sweeping across Europe has triggered severe drought conditions in the Western Balkans, threatening agriculture, straining electricity supplies, and disrupting daily life across Albania, Serbia and Kosovo.
Temperatures in central Albania soared to 40 degrees Celsius on Thursday, as meteorologists warned the region may see no significant rainfall until September. Rivers across the country have run critically low after a dry winter and spring, prompting Albanian authorities to expand emergency irrigation efforts.
A new water diversion project was completed earlier this week to reroute flow from the northern Mat River, providing irrigation for roughly 40 square kilometres of farmland. Authorities say the move is necessary to protect crops in what could become one of the driest seasons in recent memory.
The drought is also affecting Albania’s hydropower production, which supplies most of the country’s electricity. The national power utility spent up to €60 million on electricity imports in the first half of the year to meet rising demand amid reduced domestic generation.
In neighbouring Serbia, the national meteorological institute warned that an “extreme drought” is damaging crops, while water levels in rivers and lakes continue to fall. Several towns and villages have already introduced restrictions on drinking water.
In Kosovo, a shortage of water forced the closure of the country’s largest outdoor swimming pool in the capital, Pristina. The Gërmia pool, located in a regional park and typically attracting up to 5,000 daily visitors in summer, could not be filled this year due to insufficient natural water reserves from surrounding hills and mountains.
“Due to the strong heatwave currently affecting the country and the region, unfortunately we have not been able to open the largest pool in the country,” said Bardh Krasniqi, manager of the facility. What once took six days to fill is now expected to take more than three weeks.
With temperatures expected to reach 35°C on Thursday, Kosovo’s Public Health Institute urged people to avoid direct sunlight and warned vulnerable groups—including children, the elderly and people with health conditions—to remain indoors.
The heatwave, driven by an African anticyclone, has pushed temperatures across Europe to record levels. In Portugal’s Mora, the mercury reached 46.6°C last week. Meteorologists warn that wildfires and droughts are likely to intensify as extreme summer conditions become more frequent across the continent.