China is in the midst of its worst heat wave since the country began weather records in 1961. That’s what the China Meteorological Agency writes. The heat wave has now lasted 72 days, longer than ever before. Many places have set heat records of well over 40 degrees. It has been most extreme in the megacity of Chongqing, with over 31 million inhabitants. There, the night temperature at its coldest has been 34.9 degrees. During the day, the temperature is up to 45 degrees. On Wednesday, meteorologists lowered the danger level due to the heat to orange. The danger level had then been at red for twelve days in a row. The map shows the number of days in the period 1 June–15 June. August with what is defined as high temperatures. The dark red areas have had more than 30 days. Photo: China Meteorological Agency Can only work at night The prolonged heat wave has led to large areas being affected by drought. The largest freshwater lake in China, Poyang, is now only 25 percent of its usual size due to drought. Workers have been deployed to dig ditches by the sea in the east of the country to ensure that the water is channeled to irrigate crops. Without ditches, the dramatic lowering of the water level would have led to irrigation canals being cut into important areas for rice cultivation. But the workers using excavators can only dig after dark because of the heat during the day, according to the Xinhua news agency. In the huge Yangtze River, the water level is around half of the average for the last five years, writes AFP. You have to go back to the 19th century to find water levels in the Yangtze as low as this year. Poyang Lake is China’s largest lake. Now 75 percent of the surface is dried out and the water flows in canals. Photo: Wan Xiang / AP Lack of air conditioning The drought has led to several hydroelectric power stations not working. This has led to the power now being switched off for parts of the day. A large proportion of homes in China lack air conditioning. Even those with facilities are now having trouble cooling down. The 20-year-old student Xu Jinxin lives in Chongqing, the city where the night temperature creeps up to 35 degrees. He tells AFP that the lack of electricity means that he cannot use the air conditioning all the time. – After the heat waves came, I’m too hot to sleep at night. Every morning I am woken up by the heat, says Xu. Poyang Lake is China’s largest lake. Large parts of the lake have now dried up. Luoxingdun Island is no longer an island, but merely an elevation on the parched bottom. Photo: Wan Xiang / AP Food problems The drought has led to major problems for Chinese agriculture. The authorities are now warning that this autumn’s crops are “seriously threatened”. Normally, China produces around 95 percent of the wheat, corn and rice that the country consumes. The situation in the rice fields is particularly serious, the Chinese authorities write. In many places they only get rainwater. When the rain has now failed, it is not possible to irrigate in other ways. If this year’s harvest is poor, the country may be forced to try to import more food. It will lead to even more pressure on the world’s food markets, which are already under pressure from the war in Ukraine. Chickens and pigs Livestock also have problems in the heat. Hens do not want food and do not lay eggs. The result is that the prices of eggs have risen throughout China, writes the New York Times. Egg producer Li Xinyi says he has installed a large fan in the hen house to keep the temperature down. Nevertheless, the hens lay fewer eggs. Elsewhere, it is the pigs who need help. Firefighters in Chongqing had to hose down a truck full of dehydrated pigs. In Shanghai, the lights are dimmed to save electricity. On Tuesday, people walked in sparse light on the usually well-lit Bund along the Huangpu River. Photo: HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP Power rationing In several areas in China, power rationing has been introduced. In Sichuan province, where Chongqing is located, several factories have had to close. Among those that may have to close is the battery manufacturer CATL, which makes batteries for Tesla. Shopping centers and other large trading places have been ordered to reduce opening hours. Hotels have also been told to use air conditioning. The weather forecasts do not indicate any immediate improvement. In the next few days, the temperature is expected to rise in the drought-affected areas. The result of the power shortage is that the country’s coal-fired power plants are running at full capacity. In Sichuan, it is reported that 67 coal-fired power stations are at 150 percent capacity, DPA writes. But bearing in mind that climate change appears to have contributed to the heat wave, more CO₂ emissions from coal-fired power plants are bad news.
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The heat wave of the times hits China – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
