China issued its first drought emergency this year as scorching temperatures dry up areas of the Yangtze River and put pressure on the power grid while the country battles the record-breaking heatwave.
Authorities issued the national yellow alert late on Thursday after China’s central and southern provinces endured weeks of extreme heat, with temperatures in dozens of cities surpassing 40 degrees Celsius, or 104 degrees Fahrenheit. The heatwave has disrupted crop growth, threatened livestock and prompted some industries to shut down to conserve power for homes.
China’s Sichuan province, which has 94 million people, ordered all factories this week to shut down for six days in effort to ease power shortages in the region. The shutdowns came after reservoir levels declined and demand for air conditioning spiked amid the heat.
Rainfall in the Yangtze River basin area also declined by roughly 45% compared to the average in recent years, according to data […]
Excerpt Sourced From: endtimeheadlines.org
