Race to protect harvest: China's drought could last until September

Beijing, China

As local governments race to maintain power and find fresh water supplies to irrigate crops ahead of the autumn harvest, China warned that severe drought conditions along the Yangtze river could last well into September.

Slashing hydropower supplies and drying out large expanses of arable land, a severe heatwave across the basin of China's longest river has now lasted more than two months.

Chinese state media reported that the grid in the southwestern region of Chongqing is now scrambling to secure electricity from other parts of the country as supplies to industrial consumers are rationed.

After the Sichuan province imposed strict consumption control, China's State Grid also promised to do its utmost to dispatch power to the region.

According to Liu Zhiyu, an official at the Ministry of Water Resources, "It is expected that in September, water inflows in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze will still be low, and the drought in Anhui, Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi could develop further."

Official forecasts said rainfall in the Yangtze basin has been around 45 per cent lower than average since July, and high temperatures are likely to persist for at least another week.

With parts of Chongqing set to go beyond 44 degrees, authorities in the region also warned that temperatures would continue to exceed 40 degrees Celcius on Thursday.

Ordering vessels to reduce their load when passing through shallower parts of the river, the Yangtze's maritime safety bureau has issued several warnings about low water levels.

In order to guarantee food supplies and secure another bumper harvest, controlling water resources is a crucial part of the Chinese Communist Party.

Liu Weiping, Vice-Minister of Water Resources, warned that rice and other autumn crops are now at a "critical period" regarding irrigation.

(With inputs from agencies)

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