Ominous hunger stones emerge from drought-hit German river, heralding famine
Ominous warnings carved on usually submerged boulders along the River Rhine in Germany are peaking out of the water, as a result of the drought currently affecting large parts of Europe.
The reappearance of the so-called 'hunger stones' is seen as a warning and reminder of the hardships people faced during former droughts. The stones are also used to indicate bad harvests, interrupted river navigation and consequent famine.
Many such stones can be found along the river banks, with people’s names engraved next to the date of the drought.
Weeks of baking temperatures and scant rainfall have drained water levels in Germany's largest river, Germany's commercial artery, causing delays to shipping and pushing freight costs up.
Water levels at the Kaub reference point for the river near Koblenz were at 34 centimetres on Wednesday, close to the record lows during the last comparable drought in 2018.
A satellite image released on Wednesday of the drought-hit Rhine River illustrated the result of weeks of baking temperatures and scant rainfall in Germany.
In the image, taken on Saturday near the city of Dusseldorf, several parched areas and kilometres of exposed riverbank were noticeable around a bend in the commercial artery.
A comparison image taken around the same period in 2021 showed verdant vegetation and higher water levels in the corresponding areas.
Rhine shipping authorities said they expect the situation to improve in the coming days as rain is forecast for the region and water levels could rise "by 50 centimetres or more" by the end of the next week.