Half of China hit by drought amid one of worst heatwaves on record

BEIJING • A severe drought made worse by a record heatwave has spread across half of China and reached the normally frigid Tibetan Plateau, according to official data released yesterday.

The world's second-largest economy has been hit by heatwaves, flash floods and droughts, all of which are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change, scientists say.

Southern China has recorded its longest continuous period of high temperatures since records began more than 60 years ago, the agriculture ministry said this week. Experts have said the intensity, scope and duration of the heatwave could make it one of the worst recorded in global history.

A chart from the National Climate Centre on Wednesday showed swathes of southern China - including the Tibetan Plateau - were experiencing "severe" to "extraordinary" drought conditions. The worst-affected area - the Yangtze River basin, stretching from coastal Shanghai to Sichuan province in the south-west - is home to more than 370 million people and several manufacturing hubs, including the megacity of Chongqing.

According to a temperature forecast map released yesterday by the National Meteorological Centre of the China Meteorological Administration, parts of Chongqing and Sichuan, Hunan, Jiangxi and Fujian provinces will see high temperatures of more than 40 deg C today.

Heavy rain battered parts of south-western Sichuan overnight from Wednesday, causing the evacuation of almost 30,000 people, state broadcaster CCTV reported. And in the south-east, Typhoon Ma-on made landfall in coastal Guangdong province and Hong Kong yesterday morning.

China's State Council on Wednesday announced a 10 billion yuan (S$2 billion) subsidy to support rice farmers experiencing drought conditions which the authorities have warned pose a severe threat to this year's autumn harvest.

China produces more than 95 per cent of the rice, wheat and maize it consumes, but a reduced harvest could mean increased demand for imports in the world's most populous country - putting further pressure on global supplies already strained by the conflict in Ukraine.

Wednesday's CCTV evening news broadcast showed trucks supplying villagers who lacked drinking and agricultural water in rural Sichuan and Chongqing, with remote mountain areas particularly hard-hit.

Chongqing and Sichuan have also been battling wildfires since last week, made worse by high temperatures and water scarcity. Temperatures as high as 45 deg C have led several Chinese provinces to impose industrial power cuts, as cities struggle to cope with a surge in demand for electricity.

Record low water levels on the Yangtze River have also put pressure on the region's hydropower generators. Recent heat broke records in Sichuan, with one county recording a temperature of 44 deg C on Wednesday.

The region of Chongqing, which is home to several large global automakers, extended power curbs at factories until yesterday, according to a notice issued by the authorities on Wednesday.

Industrial companies were originally ordered to restrict output from Aug 17 until Wednesday.

Curbs will be gradually relaxed "in an orderly manner" once weather conditions have improved, the notice said.

Honda Motor Corp said yesterday its power product factory in Chongqing will remain closed this week. "We don't know what to do until we see what the government tells us for next week," a spokesman said.

The plant makes small-engine products like lawnmowers and tillers but not cars. The factory was on summer vacation until this past Sunday and suspended operations from Monday.

Meanwhile, Toyota Motor said it had used an in-house generator at its Sichuan plant to resume operations.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS