It keeps raining, but the drought persists: Environment Minister Georg-Ludwig von Breitenbuch warns against a misleading perception of the situation. “We must realize that the drought is not a short-term event, but a structural challenge,” the CDU politician said in a statement. “The rain from the weekend masks the actual situation.” Rivers and groundwater levels are at historically low levels.
Rainfall Cannot Alleviate Low Water Levels
The rainfall of the past few days was not sufficient to mitigate the far-reaching consequences of the prolonged drought, as an analysis of current water level measurements shows. According to the analysis, the situation has even worsened in numerous watercourses and groundwater bodies across the Free State. At 60 percent of the 150 gauging stations analyzed, water levels are low, and at another 25 percent, the low-water mark has almost been reached.
According to data from the State Office for the Environment, Agriculture, and Geology, groundwater levels in Saxony are also well below average. At 85 percent of the 470 monitoring stations, the groundwater level was an average of 57 centimeters below typical monthly values. In July 2025, the average shortfall was 38 centimeters at 85 percent of the monitoring stations.
