New Delhi, Aug. 5 -- Europe is currently facing droughts so severe that they are hampering countries' economic growth to the point that they are taking measures as extreme as blowing up riverbeds, CNBC reports.

Romania, facing an extreme summer, has shut down its only working nuclear reactor, powered by the river Danube, due to low water levels, and Bucharest has even deployed naval forces to improve water flow. Low water levels in the Danube have also threatened to close Hungary's Paks nuclear plant, which supplies 40% of the country's energy and has also led Serbia to cut its hydropower generation levels.

In Germany, water levels in the River Rhine have dropped to levels not seen in 150 years, disrupting supply chains and harming the ...