Half of China hit by drought in worst heatwave on record

BEIJING: A crippling drought exacerbated by a record heatwave provides spread out across half of China and achieved the normally cold Tibetan Plateau, according to official data released ahead of more agonizing temperatures on Thurs (Aug 25).

The world’s second-largest economy continues to be hit by heatwaves, flash floods and droughts – phenomena that scientists state are becoming more regular and intense due to climate change.

Southern China offers recorded its longest continuous period of higher temperatures since information began more than 6 decades ago, the agriculture ministry said immediately.

Experts possess said the intensity, scope and length of the heatwave could make it one of the most severe recorded in global history.

A chart from the National Climate Centre demonstrated Wednesday that swathes of southern Cina – including the Tibetan Plateau – had been experiencing “severe” to “extraordinary” drought problems.

The worst-affected area – the Yangtze river container, stretching from coastal Shanghai to Sichuan province in China’s southwest – houses over 370 mil people and contains many manufacturing hubs including the megacity of Chongqing.

The Cina Meteorological Administration expected continued high temperatures of up to 40 levels Celsius in Chongqing and the provinces of Sichuan and Zhejiang on Thursday.

But some regions obtained relief from the heatwave. Parts of southwestern Sichuan were battered simply by heavy rains right away, causing the evacuation associated with almost 30, 000 people, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

And in the southeast, Typhoon Ma-on made landfall within coastal Guangdong state and Hong Kong upon Thursday morning.

“High temperatures possess basically been alleviated in the regions of southern China, Jiangxi and Anhui, ” the meteorological administration stated.

“But high temperatures will carry on for the next three days in areas including the Sichuan basin and provinces encircling Shanghai. ”

CNA’s Low Minmin reporting from Chongqing said that water amounts across China are so low that some inland river delivery routes are no longer safe, adding that “a lot of agricultural commodities that are imported passes through this shipping routes which will now be extended by five days, which will press up business costs. ”