After 66 rivers dried up in the south-west of the country on Friday, China issued its first nationwide drought alert of the year. The crops in China are seriously threatened by the drought and the intense heatwaves brought on by forest fires. Chinese officials declared “several new measures” earlier this week to “help alleviate the impact of the drought,” including financial assistance, cloud seeding, and the closure of some energy-intensive industries.
The Washington Post referred to the crisis as China’s “worst drought on record” as high temperatures dry up important stretches of the Yangtze River, harming crops and reducing supplies of drinking water for some rural communities.
The intense heat in south-west China has caused up to 66 rivers across 34 counties to dry up. In addition, rainfall in southern China is 60% lower this year than it typically is at this time of year.
While battling forest fires, the government has deployed special teams to protect crops. The world’s largest CO2 emitter, China, has previously been forewarned that climate change will cause extreme weather events.
