SHANGHAI (Archyde.com) – China’s record-breaking heat has caused power shortages and droughts, prompting a flurry of government measures. Some manufacturers have been forced to suspend production due to the effects of the measures, and economic activity is also affected.
The water ministry said on Monday that the drought in the Yangtze River basin “has adversely affected the availability of drinking water for people and livestock in rural areas, as well as the growth of crops.” He instructed local governments to pinpoint drought-affected areas and take steps to maintain water supplies.
The Three Gorges Dam said on Thursday that it would increase the amount of water discharged by 500 million cubic meters over the next 10 days to increase the amount of water downstream.
Some livestock have been temporarily moved from drought-affected areas to other districts, according to a finance ministry announcement this week. The ministry also said it would provide 300 million yuan ($44.3 million) in disaster aid.
The Hubei province announced on Thursday that it plans to shoot silver iodide into clouds to make it rain.
Sichuan province on Tuesday began restricting electricity to residential, office and shopping malls. In China, when there is a power shortage, basically priority is given to household and commercial power supply, and industrial power supply is restricted. Sichuan’s measures show the seriousness of the situation.
A record 262 meteorological stations recorded temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius in the country. Eight places recorded 44 degrees.
The heat wave lasted 64 days, the longest since records began in 1961, state media said. Researchers at Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) point out that a subtropical high pressure system in the western Pacific extends over much of Asia.
China’s meteorological authority said hot weather in the Sichuan Basin and most of the central region will continue until Aug. 26.