China’s leadership warns of a severe drought in the Yangtze River basin that will last until September. As the Ministry of Finance announced today, 420 million yuan (about 61 million euros) will be earmarked for emergency relief. This is intended to support regional authorities in providing food to the population. In addition, funds should be used to alleviate hardship caused by long-term drought.
Heat wave for a good two months
The heat wave in the catchment area of China’s largest river, the Yangtze, has lasted more than two months. As a result, large areas of arable land have dried up. In addition, the production of hydroelectric plants is limited.
Portal/Thomas Peter
The Chongqing region of southwest China, where most of the Three Gorges Reservoir of the Yangtze River is located, is also affected. Upstream reservoirs opened their floodgates to fill the gigantic dam’s storage capacity, which in turn is expected to release 830 million cubic meters downstream today.
According to the authorities, the rice harvest in the region is currently at a critical stage in terms of adequate irrigation.
Maximum temperatures above 44 degrees Celsius were expected in parts of Chongqing. This is likely to further increase electricity consumption due to increased use of air conditioning.