Water levels in several rivers in Germany’s federal state of Saxony have dropped to critical levels, and “hunger stones” placed during years of drought have emerged in the Elbe River.
Sea-news.az reports “hunger stones” are large boulders marked with special inscriptions by people during severe droughts in previous years. Their emergence signals potential problems related to crop yields.
In August 2026, several such stones became visible in the Elbe River. One of the stones bears more than 20 dates marking droughts that have occurred over the past three centuries and more. The most recent date indicated is 2018.
According to Germany’s Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration, the water level in the Rhine River in the Düsseldorf area has dropped to a record low of 14 centimeters. Shallowing is also being observed in other rivers across the region.
The “hunger stones” last surfaced in 2022 during the drying up of rivers caused by drought in Europe. In early August, anomalous heatwaves were once again observed across European countries, impacting energy and transport systems. Meanwhile, the water level in the Danube River around Budapest has dropped 10 centimeters lower than the previous record registered in 2018.
