India, Sept. 28 -- Drought-driven low water levels on major rivers such as the Rhine, Danube, Loire and Po are crippling inland navigation, slashing barge capacity and sharply raising freight costs, the International Transport Forum warns.

With climate change expected to deepen hydrological droughts, supply chains reliant on river transport face mounting delays, congestion and economic losses across Europe, the US and other regions.

Against the backdrop of drought conditions seen across several parts of the world, record-low water levels in major rivers disrupted inland navigation, reduced freight capacity, raised transport costs and exposed the vulnerability of supply chains that depend on rivers, according to the International Transpo...