One person’s joy is another’s sorrow. — Just this proverb describes the situation around the low Rhine level very well.
Due to the long periods of drought in Germany, new crisis reports are being circulated daily on the record low levels of the Rhine. Meanwhile, the Cologne level is 6% below the mean (73 cm), in Worms even whole 98% (3cm) (current levels can be found here https://www.wetteronline.de/pegelstand/rhein).
For the economy, these are crisis reports, because the Rhine is one of the most important transport routes in Germany. Due to the low levels, inland waterway shipping can succumb, resulting in higher gasoline and even beer prices. The economic damage is also immense for tourism businesses and providers of tourism trips on the Rhine.
But not all suffer from the crisis.
How smart collectors are now making money out of the crisis
The Rhine is a true treasure, not only in relation to the Nibelungen legend. On the riverbed of the Rhine there is a lot of garbage. Old bottles, glass, some old bombs from World War II but also a lot of metal scrap, which can be turned into money.
Otherwise, covered by the current and the water and inaccessible, the drought and the resulting low levels mean that all these little «treasures» are now freely accessible.
Scrap collectors are currently taking advantage of the situation along the Rhine to salvage metal scrap, precious copper scrap, steel, brass and much more from the dried riverbeds and make money. From a variety of bicycles to precious collectibles and precious silver cutlery, there is everything in addition to the valuable scrap.
The crisis is worthwhile
As the phrase at the beginning «One joy, another’s suffering» already testifies, every situation always has its for and its cons. The current situation is economically difficult. For «treasure hunters» and collectors, however, this situation is highly profitable, as our purchase prices show. The positive side effect of the situation, however, is that when the levels have risen again to «normal», we can all look forward to a cleaner and tidier Rhine.
Grass AF
