November 6, 2024 | 07:13 GMT +7

  • Click to copy
Saturday- 13:25, 20/08/2022

China issues first national drought alert, battles to save crops in extreme heatwave

(VAN) China issues first national drought alert, battles to save crops in extreme heatwave
A view of bridges that cross over the partially dried-up riverbed of the Jialing river, a tributary of the Yangtze, that is approaching record low water levels in Chongqing, China, Aug 18, 2022. Photo: Reuters/Thomas Peter

A view of bridges that cross over the partially dried-up riverbed of the Jialing river, a tributary of the Yangtze, that is approaching record low water levels in Chongqing, China, Aug 18, 2022. Photo: Reuters/Thomas Peter

The national "yellow alert", issued late on Thursday (Aug 18), comes after regions from Sichuan in the southwest to Shanghai in the Yangtze delta have experienced weeks of extreme heat, with government officials repeatedly citing global climate change as the cause. The alert is two notches short of the most serious warning on Beijing's scale.

In one of the Yangtze's important flood basins in central China's Jiangxi province, the Poyang Lake has now shrunk to a quarter of its normal size for this time of year, state news agency Xinhua said on Thursday.

As many as 66 rivers across 34 counties in the southwestern region of Chongqing have dried up, state broadcaster CCTV said on Friday.

Rainfall in Chongqing this year is down 60 per cent compared to the seasonal norm, and the soil in several districts is severely short of moisture, CCTV said, citing local government data.

The district of Beibei, north of Chongqing's urban centre, saw temperatures hit 45 degrees Celsius on Thursday, according to China's weather bureau.

Chongqing accounted for six of the 10 hottest locations in the country on Friday morning, with temperatures in the district of Bishan already approaching 39 degrees Celsius. Shanghai was already at 37 degrees Celsius.

The Chongqing region's infrastructure and emergency services have come under increasing strain, with firefighters on high alert as mountain and forest blazes erupted across the region. State media also reported an increase in cases of heatstroke.

The gas utility in the district of Fuling also told customers on Friday that they would cut off supplies until further notice as they deal with "serious safety hazards".

The Chongqing agricultural bureau has also set up expert teams to protect vulnerable crops and expand planting to compensate for losses ahead of the autumn harvest.

The water resources ministry has instructed drought-hit agricultural regions to draw up rotas determining who can access supplies at any particular time, to ensure they do not run out.

According to data from China's emergency ministry late on Thursday, high temperatures in July alone caused direct economic losses of 2.73 billion yuan (US$400 million), affecting 5.5 million people.

Meanwhile China's National Meteorological Center (NMC) renewed its high-temperature red alert on Friday, the 30th consecutive day it has issued alerts, it said on its Weibo channel.

State forecasters also predicted that the current heatwave would only start to abate on Aug 26.

The weather agency said in its daily bulletin that 4.5 million sq km of national territory had now experienced temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius or more over the past month - nearly half the country's total area - with more than 200 weather stations recording record highs.

China's water ministry warned that severe drought conditions in the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze river could last well into September as local governments race to find new supply sources and irrigate crops ahead of the autumn harvest.

A severe heatwave across the basin of China's longest river, caused by a larger than usual Western Pacific subtropical high, has now lasted more than two months, slashing hydropower supplies and drying out large expanses of arable land.

Tr.D

(Reuters)

Meeting the new demands of the EUDR

Meeting the new demands of the EUDR

(VAN) Sophisticated automation enables users to send hundreds of data collection requests with a single click.

Small farmers in Europe struggle to get by

Small farmers in Europe struggle to get by

(VAN) Brutal economic situation has inflicted misery on farmers who struggle to turn a profit and forced some to look for alternative streams of revenue.

China intensifies emergency food supply amid increasing extreme weather events

China intensifies emergency food supply amid increasing extreme weather events

China has reinforced its emergency food supply in response to increasing extreme weather events and natural disasters, an official said.

Scientists dismayed as UK ministers clear way for gene editing of crops - but not animals

Scientists dismayed as UK ministers clear way for gene editing of crops - but not animals

(VAN) Advocates urge government to allow ‘precision breeding’ to combat disease, but RSPCA warns of ethical dangers.

Expectations positive, but tempered on GM wheat in US

Expectations positive, but tempered on GM wheat in US

(VAN) HB4 wheat’s USDA approval will enable Bioceres to 'move forward with nonregulated field activities for product development and commercialization,' CEO Federico Trucco said in September.

Famine and catastrophic hunger in 5 major hotspots alongside the looming La Niña_climate threat in others

Famine and catastrophic hunger in 5 major hotspots alongside the looming La Niña_climate threat in others

(VAN) Acute food insecurity is set to increase in magnitude and severity in 22 countries and territories.

Pharma and agritech groups push against biodiversity levy at UN summit

Pharma and agritech groups push against biodiversity levy at UN summit

(VAN) One contentious proposal seeks to impose 1% levy on returns from products made using genetic data.

Read more