BEIJING: The agriculture ministry issued a warning that an unprecedented heat and drought threatened autumn harvests as severe heatwaves continued in southern China on Tuesday.
The Weather Bureau forecast continued high temperatures of 39 °C (102 °F) in some areas on Tuesday and renewed the orange national drought warning, the second-highest level. Some respite is expected later this week, with moderate rainfall likely in some areas of the Yellow and Huai River regions.
According to a notice from the Ministry of Agriculture, the country's autumn crops faced significant challenges as a result of the heatwave.

The notice advised that "the authorities concerned should immediately issue an alert for high temperatures and take targeted measures to mitigate the adverse effects of warm weather on autumn grain production." To ensure that there is enough water for irrigation, more work must be done to provide new water sources, to stagger the irrigation rotation and to create artificial rainfall when needed.

For more than two months, a large part of China has faced scorching heat. The severe drought has dried up many rivers and reservoirs, forcing local governments to supply electricity during the day.
More than 900 million people have been affected in 17 provinces, from Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai in the east to Sichuan province and Chongqing in the southwest. In Chongqing, forest fires are burning in four districts of the city.

On Tuesday, more than 100 people sought shelter in an airstrike to escape the sweltering heat in Sichuan's city of more than five million people, Dazhou.

After converting from a wartime bunker into a cooling shelter in City Center Park last month, a growing number of locals have been using it since power rationing began a week ago.

There are no lights inside and it is only open during the day, but residents bring flashlights and pass the time by playing cards, chatting and eating. Others seek comfort in the shadows of underground shopping centers.
“I was born in Dazhou and I have never experienced such severe power rations and drought in my life,” said 69-year-old Zhang Shaojun, where he sells snacks, water and cigarettes. “If it rains next week If it doesn't, I'm not sure we'll be able to stop it."

The Chinese lunar calendar's last day of chushu, or scorching heat, fell on Tuesday, but a record-breaking heat wave is predicted to last until the end of this month.
According to Chen Tao, chief forecaster of the National Meteorological Center, the eastern provinces should experience some respite from the heat on Thursday, but Sichuan, one of China's major grain-producing regions, may not experience a change until Monday.
By the end of this month, most of China will experience respite from the heatwave, predicted Chen, the government-run China news service.

This summer, heatwaves and drought have affected countries around the world, including China, the United States, Africa and Europe. According to the European Drought Observatory, 60% of the UK and EU countries have experienced drought.
Drought and high temperatures in China have hampered industrial production, crop growth and electricity supply.
Since about 80% of its electricity comes from hydropower, Sichuan has been the hardest hit. However, the State Grid Sichuan Electric Power Company reports that the province's hydropower generation capacity has decreased by more than 50% in the past two months.

Last Tuesday, electricity in Dazhou began to be restricted to two to three hours per day, with the ban extended to eight hours per day on weekends.
A 63-year-old retiree named Du Rong said it was too long to go without power.
She said, "My husband is hemiplegic and is unable to leave the house. He can only use a hand fan to stay cool when there is no electricity." My four year old granddaughter doesn't want to go outside because it's too hot. Just unbearable power failure lasted for eight hours

Stall owner Zhang claimed that he had lost about 40% of his income ever since the ban on electricity was implemented. He claimed that no one wanted to buy melted ice cream.

According to Tian Miao, a senior analyst at Everbright Securities International, the power shortage in Sichuan could ease in a week, as the government is switching power from neighboring provinces.
According to Tian, ​​this is regional in nature, unlike the nationwide power shortage that affected about 20 provinces last year.
“Nationally, there is no power shortage, and the first seven months saw a significant increase in coal production. More power could be directed to the region by the government. This would only last a short while, and it won’t work.” There is not much impact on industrial chains. Officials are currently working to ensure that there is enough Adequate water supply for crops such as rice and soybeans, which are at a critical stage of development.
To mitigate the effects of heatwaves and droughts and boost crop yields, Jiangxi officials have been instructed by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tang Renjian, to ensure a supply of cloud seeding to generate rain when necessary. do and use.

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