Persistent lack of rain has caused widespread low water levels in rivers across Saxony, Germany, revealing so-called “hunger stones” that serve as reminders of past droughts.

Axar.az reports, citing Der Spiegel, that tne such a stone has emerged from the Elbe River near Pirna.

Located in the Oberposta district, the stone bears more than 20 dates carved into its surface, some dating back to 1707, marking years when water levels were exceptionally low. Another marking was added in 2018 to commemorate the historically low water level that year.

According to Saxony’s State Flood Centre, the Elbe at Pirna has remained below one meter for some time, while the water level in Dresden currently stands at just 54 centimeters. Other rivers, including the Mulde, Weiße Elster, Spree and Neiße, have also recorded significantly reduced water levels.

Germany has lost around 60 billion cubic meters of water over the past 25 years, Environment Minister Carsten Schneider said last week, roughly equivalent to the volume of Lake Constance. He attributed part of the loss to more frequent droughts and the inability of paved areas, straightened rivers and depleted soils to retain sufficient water.

A new nationwide low-water information system, known as Niwis, was launched last week to provide data from around 350 surface-water monitoring stations and 230 groundwater measuring stations.

No significant recovery is currently expected for the Elbe in Saxony. The German Weather Service forecasts isolated thunderstorms and temperatures of up to 34 degrees Celsius at the beginning of the week, followed by sunny and dry conditions on Tuesday and Wednesday.