Rain brings some relief to drought-hit parts of China
- Heavy rains swept across parts of Sichuan, which has been suffering from a prolonged drought as a result of the worst heatwave in 6 decades
- Prolonged temperatures of more than 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) have caused rivers and lakes to dry up, disrupting power supplies and threatening the autumn harvest
Central and northern parts of the province have experienced heavy rain that hit cities including Guangyuan, Mianyang, and the provincial capital Chengdu, forcing 30,000 residents to be evacuated overnight.
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Sichuan’s meteorological station issued a blue rainstorm warning at about 4pm on Wednesday – the fourth level under the country’s four-tier warning system – meaning that more than 50 millimetres (1.97 inches) of rain would fall within 12 hours.
Meanwhile, the neighbouring municipality of Chongqing reported light showers as a result of efforts by the authorities to induce artificial rain, but record temperatures continued and the city’s meteorological centre said heavier rains would not come until Friday.
On Wednesday, Qu county in Sichuan recorded temperatures of 44 degrees Celsius (111.2 degrees Fahrenheit), surpassing the province’s record high temperature that had only been set last week.
Most districts in Chongqing have also seen temperatures of above 40 degrees, with Beibei logging 45 degrees on Thursday – the highest temperature ever recorded in the municipality.
As many as 66 rivers and 25 reservoirs across the municipality have run dry amid extreme hot weather and drought, according to the local water resources department.
Meanwhile, more than 160 districts and counties in Sichuan and Chongqing have also been hit by the drought, which state broadcaster CCTV said had affected around 7 million people.
Drought, flooding threaten China’s ‘critical’ autumn grain harvest
The heatwave has also caused wildfires, including in Beibei, where a blaze that started on Sunday has still not been put out.
On Wednesday Premier Li Keqiang said the central government would allocate 10 billion yuan (US$1.5 billion) to help areas affected by the drought.
The National Meteorological Centre said other parts of southern China would also experience cooler temperatures from Wednesday
Residents took to social media to welcome the rain, with one Weibo user in Sichuan writing: “Finally … it’s been more than a month since the last rainfall. This summer is not easy for us, the power cuts, heatwave and drought.”
The relief in the southwest of the country may only prove temporary, with high temperatures expected to return in the next few days, but Tang Chang, director of Chongqing’s meteorological bureau, said the long heatwave would finally end early next month.