Crimean rivers face critical water deficits after August droughts

August droughts have drained the karst water reserves that feed Crimea's primary river systems, leaving most of the peninsula's watercourses shallow. According to the regional Hydrometeorological Center, a critical lack of precipitation has shifted the water balance across the territory. Rainfall was sporadic and limited to brief, localized showers. Total precipitation varied wildly, ranging from 1.3 to 37.3 millimeters. The distribution was highly uneven: while the Ai-Petri area received 59% of its monthly norm, the Angarsky Pass saw only 11%. In the upper reaches of the Salgir River, near the village of Pionersky, no precipitation was recorded at all. This disparity created a divide in river health. The Biyuk-Karasu, Derekoyka, Kokkozka, Alma, the lower Kacha, and the upper Belbek rivers received between 41% and 78% of their required water. All other rivers on the peninsula received a mere 3% to 26% of their norm.