On Tuesday, Aug. 23, as they awaited a much-anticipated dip in temperatures over the following week, the southwestern Chinese provinces of Chonqing and Sichuan were battling fires. However, the crucial autumn harvest for the nation could still be in jeopardy.
This month, officials issued a warning that China is seeing a higher rate of temperature rise than the rest of the world. The nation's capacity to conserve its already limited water supplies and adapt to rapid climate change has come under scrutiny in the wake of the nation's record-breaking heatwave.
Poyang Lake, which typically receives floodwaters from the Yangtze River during the summer, appeared to be only a small portion of its normal size for this time of year, according to satellite images, state broadcaster CCTV. This has a negative impact on the drinking water supplies of nearby communities. According to the broadcaster, water has already been released from the Three Gorges and Danjiangkou reservoirs to help with the downstream shortages.
The drought poses a "severe threat" to China's autumn crops, according to a notice released by the ministry of agriculture on Tuesday. The notification also stated that local authorities have been directed to take all reasonable measures to enhance water supplies and protect the harvest. According to the government, farmers who have suffered serious crop loss will be urged to replant, and cloud-seeding rockets will be made accessible whenever possible.
The more than two-month-long heatwave in China, according to official forecasters, was about to reach a "turning point" as a typhoon was moving into the southeast and a cold front was moving in from the west.
The National Meteorological Center reported on its official Weibo channel that temperatures are likely to drop in Sichuan and Chongqing beginning on August 29 and in portions of central China by Wednesday, despite the fact that China is still on a heat "red alert" for the 12th day.
As per the Sichuan Hydrological and Water Resources Survey Center, heavy rainfall could affect western Sichuan's mountainous region on Aug. 27 and 28, increasing the risk of flooding and landslides. It advised authorities to seize the chance to stockpile as much water as they could.
According to financial news service Caixin, Chongqing and Sichuan, where rainfall has been 80% less than normal, have had to deal with as many as 19 wildfires since August 14.
So far, no deaths or injuries have been reported, but Chongqing has been forced to relocate 1,500 people due to fire risks, according to the local government.
