Half of China’s territory is suffering from a droughtincluding parts of the frigid Tibetan Plateau, official data indicate amid an unprecedented heat wave in the country that is due to continue on Thursday.
A chart from the National Climate Center showed on Wednesday that large swathes of southern China, including parts of Tibet, were in conditions of drought from “serious” to “extraordinary”.
In the worst affected area, the Yangtze River basin, from Sichuan province in the southwest to Shanghai on the east coast, about 370 million people live and hosts large industrial centers, such as the megacity of Chongqing.
The world’s second largest economy was recently affected by record temperatures, floods and droughts, extreme events that scientists say will become more intense and frequent due to climate change.
About 370 million people live in the most affected area. Photo EFE
the longest
South China is experiencing its longest and most sustained heat wave since weather data began to be recorded over 60 years agoindicated this week the Ministry of Agriculture.
Experts point out that the intensity, extent and duration of this heat wave can make it one of the worst in the world.
The China Meteorological Administration expects high temperatures to continue on Thursday above 40ºC in Chongqing and in Sichuan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces.
Sichuan hit a record temperature of 43.9 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, the provincial meteorological service said.
China’s State Council on Wednesday announced subsidies of 10 billion yuan ($1.45 billion) to help rice farmers affected by the drought that, according to the authorities, poses a “serious threat” to the autumn harvest.
The production
China produces more than 95% of the rice, wheat and corn it consumes, but a drop in the harvest could cause the Asian giant to turn to imports and add pressure to a global market already stressed by the war in Ukraine.
AFP
The authorities They advocated “ensuring drinking water for the population and guarantee water for agricultural irrigation”.
State broadcaster CCTV showed footage of trucks delivering water to citizens and farmers in rural Sichuan and Chongqing on Wednesday.
Temperatures of up to 45 ºC led several Chinese provinces to restrict power supply to factories to guarantee service to individuals, whose demand skyrocketed due to the use of air conditioning.
In addition, the low flows of the Yangtze River disturb the production of hydroelectric dams.
Fuente: AFP
PB