Hunger Stone : The recent droughts in Europe once again made visible the “Hunger Stones” in some Czech and German rivers. These stones were used to mark desperately low river levels that would forecast famines.
One such stone is on the banks of the Elbe River, which begins in the Czech Republic and flows through Germany. The boulder dates back to 1616 and is etched with a warning in German: “Wenn du mich seehst, dann weine” — “If you see me, then weep,” according to a Google translation of the phrase.
“Before 1900, the following droughts are commemorated on the stone: 1417, 1616, 1707, 1746, 1790, 1800, 1811, 1830, 1842, 1868, 1892, and 1893.”
Thanks, UrsaRodinia
Eideard 
“Europe’s rivers run dry as scientists warn drought could be worst in 500 years
Crops, power plants, barge traffic, industry and fish populations devastated by parched waterways” https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/13/europes-rivers-run-dry-as-scientists-warn-drought-could-be-worst-in-500-years
“In places, the Loire can now be crossed on foot; France’s longest river has never flowed so slowly. The Rhine is fast becoming impassable to barge traffic. In Italy, the Po is 2 metres lower than normal, crippling crops. Serbia is dredging the Danube.
Across Europe, drought is reducing once-mighty rivers to trickles, with potentially dramatic consequences for industry, freight, energy and food production – just as supply shortages and price rises due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine bite.”
France’s severe drought shut down the cheese production that had continued for over 2,000 years – through two world wars, collapsed monarchies and the fall of the Roman Empire. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/08/17/salers-cheese-france-drought-climate/
7AM MDT, tomorrow morning, 18th
Factories in China’s southwest have shut down after reservoirs used to generate hydropower ran low in a worsening drought, adding to economic strains at a time when President Xi Jinping is trying to extend his position in power.
Companies in Sichuan province – including makers of solar panels, cement and urea [for fertilizer] – closed or reduced production after they were ordered to ration power for up to five days, according to news reports Wednesday.
Areas across central and northern China ordered emergency measures to ensure drinking water supplies after summer rain was as little as half normal levels. The official Xinhua News Agency said fire trucks had carried water to two dry villages near Chongqing in the southwest.
Hundreds of thousands of hectares of crops across central and northern China have wilted due to lack of water and high temperatures, according to the government. Some areas have declared the summer growing season a failure. https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2022/8/17/chinese-factories-close-as-drought-hits-hydropower
China population in 2022 is estimated to be 1.42 Billion