Amid an unprecedented heatwave in the country, half of China’s territory is facing a drought, including parts of the normally icy Tibetan plateau, according to official figures.
A chart released Wednesday by the National Climate Center showed that large areas of southern China, including parts of Tibet, are in “severe to “extraordinary” drought conditions.
The most affected area is the Yangtze River basin, which stretches from Sichuan province (southwest) to Shanghai (east coast), has a population of about 370 million and is home to major industrial centers such as the mega-city of Chongqing.
The second largest economy on the planet has recently been hit hard by record temperatures, floods and droughts, extreme events that scientists say will become increasingly intense and frequent due to climate change.
Southern China is facing its longest heat wave since weather records began more than 60 years ago, the agriculture ministry said this week.
The intensity, extent and duration of this heat wave could make it one of the most severe in the world, scientists say.
The China Meteorological Administration predicts that temperatures in Chongqing and Sichuan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces will continue to remain above 40 degrees Celsius for the next 24 hours.
In Sichuan, the thermometer hit a record temperature of 43.9 degrees on Wednesday, according to the provincial weather service.
Picture: THOMAS PETER/REUTERS
food pressure
Some areas recovered from the heat. Parts of southwestern Sichuan saw heavy rains overnight, forcing nearly 30,000 residents in the area to evacuate, according to state channel CCTV.
In the southeast of the country, Typhoon Ma-on made landfall in Guangdong province and Hong Kong early Thursday.
China’s State Council has announced a 10 billion yuan ($1.45 billion) subsidy to help drought-affected rice farmers, which officials say poses a “serious threat” to the autumn harvest (spring in the Northern Hemisphere, Brazil).
China produces more than 95% of the rice, wheat and corn it consumes, but a drop in harvest could force the country to turn to imports and add pressure to the global market already strained by the war in Ukraine.
Authorities advocated “guaranteeing drinking water for the population and guaranteeing water for agricultural irrigation”.
On Wednesday, the CCTV network released footage of a water truck service for residents and farmers in rural Sichuan and Chongqing.
In addition, these areas have been facing wildfires since last week, which have been exacerbated by high temperatures and a lack of water.
Farmers were also affected. Chongqing officials have promised urgent measures to protect pig farms.
A video of a Sichuan woman crying as all her chickens cry from the heat and power outage has gone viral on social media.
Temperatures of up to 45ºC have led many provinces to restrict energy supply to factories to guarantee service to residents whose demands are increased by the use of air conditioning.
In addition, the decrease in the Yangtze River bed also affects the production of hydroelectric dams.
In parts of Sichuan and Chongqing, residents began sleeping in parking lots and subway stations for cooler weather.
source: Noticias
