China is facing its worst drought in history, with more than 70 days of extremely high temperatures and low rainfall resulting in the widespread destruction of crops, drying up of rivers and tributaries, a food and water crisis, and a power crunch that has caused factories to shut down.
According to China's Ministry of Water Resources, summer rainfall in the Yangtze river basin, which is the country’s longest river, has touched the lowest level since record-keeping began in 1961. In fact, according to Chinese sources, almost 66 rivers have dried up completely. Similarly, China’s National Climate Centre reported that the long-lasting heatwave has also broken all established records.
The falling water levels in rivers have greatly impacted the ability of hydroelectric power stations in the area to generate energy. The high demand for electricity, combined with its low production, has resulted in the imposition of emergency measures to ease pressure on the power grid, including the unplugging of air conditioning and the shutdown of factories and offices to divert resources to residential areas.
#UAV used to create "artificial rain"!#China used its self-developed Wing Loong-2H UAV to assist fight against drought in SW China’s Sichuan. The drone ignited 20 silver iodide flame bars during its 4-hour flight to create "artificial rain" for the drought-hit region. pic.twitter.com/Nyw7wKpDVr
— libijian李碧建 (@libijian2) August 26, 2022
From the Sichuan province in the southwest to Shanghai in the east, temperatures have gone up to 45°C, subjecting more than 900 million residents across 17 provinces to extreme weather conditions. Commenting on the crisis, weather historian Maximiliano Herrera told New Scientist that there is “nothing in world climatic history which is even minimally comparable to what is happening in China.” He added that the current heatwave is especially hard on citizens, as it “combines the most extreme intensity with the most extreme length with an incredibly huge area all at the same time.”
The megacity of Shanghai, which lies along the tributaries of the Yangtze river, turned off its iconic waterfront lights this week. Similarly, the city of Luzhou turned off street lights at night, while Sichuan, which derives almost 80% of its electricity from hydropower, dimmed its skyscrapers, closed factories, darkened subways, and introduced rolling blackouts in several cities. The province has also reported forest fires, particularly in the Chongqing municipality. Other provinces along the Yangtze river have also been placed on high alert for grassland and forest fires.
The images coming out of #Chongqing are apocalyptic. Mass #coronavirus PCR tests being carried out as bushfires rage following months of heatwave with a record drought threatening crops and severely limiting much needed hydroelectricity. #China pic.twitter.com/PutVVI99ED
— Stephen McDonell (@StephenMcDonell) August 26, 2022
Poyang, the country’s largest freshwater lake, situated in the Jiangxi province, has shrunk by a whopping 75% according to local authorities. This has severely affected farmers in the region, who rely on its water supply to irrigate their fields.
Experts predict that the drought will ultimately affect already weakened global supply chains and exacerbate the food crisis. Food security is already under strain from the Ukraine-Russia war and has resulted in the loss of around 20% of exported wheat, barley, and corn from the market, driving up prices. China’s heatwave will thus be an added stressor to the grain market, as its autumn harvest of rice and wheat faces a severe shortfall. In Sichuan alone, 47,000 hectares have reportedly been lost, and another 433,000 hectares have been burned.
There are also concerns that the electricity shortages may force China to turn to coal, which would severely undermine its goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2060.
The massive heat wave & drought China is experiencing may end up being the worst in recorded history. But turn on the corp news & it’s barely mentioned. George Monbiot calls it The Great Silence. It’s a failure of communication that can’t be rivaled by anything in human history. https://t.co/px9Qe2r74A
— Adam McKay (@GhostPanther) August 24, 2022
In response to the unprecedented weather conditions, Anhui’s provincial government said in a press release that it is necessary to enhance artificial rainfall, or cloud seeding, in the region and “increase the amount of available water.” It called on citizens to prepare for drought, as well as conserve water, in order to “win the tough battle” against drought and disaster relief. Moreover, the Provincial Department of Finance and Emergency Management issued 30 million yuan ($4.3 million) through an emergency fund to support 11 cities.
Similarly, Chongqing announced that in response to the wildfire, it had set up an “on-site meteorological monitoring service group, a background forecasting service group, and an artificial rainfall enhancement operation guarantee group.” It also announced that it fought “fire with fire” by extinguishing the fire through a controlled burn, noting that rescuers are managing the “remaining” fire to prevent it from re-igniting.
Extreme weather is typically rare. But climate change is increasing the odds of more extreme weather events taking place.
— Daniel Moser (@_dmoser) August 23, 2022
A changing climate means means more of the curve touches the extremes - and so extreme weather become more frequent and more extreme.
Via @epa @bbcweather pic.twitter.com/9uS6N2WpKM
On the flip side, the country is also preparing for heavy rains and floods, which have been forecasted for parts of Sichuan and Chongqing provinces through at least Tuesday. CCTV announced that authorities have relocated almost 61,000 people in Sichuan to safe havens since Sunday evening as heavy rain fell overnight.
While this has provided some relief from the heat, the China Meteorological Administration has forecasted that this year’s autumn rain in West China “will appear earlier, stronger than the same period of the previous year,” and that its spatial distribution will be “uneven.” “Affected by the autumn rain in western China, there may be a situation where the drought turns into waterlogging. In addition, the autumn flood in northern China is expected to be heavier this year, and the flood control situation is not optimistic,” it said in a press release on Sunday. It further warned citizens to be wary of secondary disasters such as debris flow and landslides.
The department also explained that the “continuous high temperature” in the control area has resulted in the accumulation of “a certain amount of unstable energy in the atmosphere.” It warned that once such convection occurs, “it will develop rapidly” and will have “high efficiency,” which will result in “strong hourly rain” and will potentially “easily lead to local sudden short-term fluctuations.”