Kaub lies south of the ​city of Koblenz at one of the shallowest sections on the Middle Rhine. "Commercial shipping will no longer be able to transport goods in the region at such low water levels," he ⁠said. Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland ​has relaxed trucking curbs to ease transport bottlenecks caused by low ​water levels ⁠on rivers including the Rhine. In German cities, including Cologne and Dusseldorf, people can now walk across parts of the Rhine where strong currents normally flow. Low water levels are also taking a growing toll on ecosystems - and could eventually drive up the cost of clean drinking water.