Exceptional Drought Plagues Central, Northern China

EXTREME WEATHER & CLIMATIC EVENTS
RISING TEMPERATURES
EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT
WATER FAMINE
CROP DISASTERS
FOOD INSECURITY
MAIN SCENARIOS 900, 808, 800, 555, 444, 123, 111, 100, 033, 011, 08, 04, 03, 02
.

Water Famine Severely Affecting Parts of China

Persistent drought in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and central China’s Henan Province has dried up rivers and reservoirs, causing power and water shut-offs and severe drinking water shortages, said Xinhua.

In Inner Mongolia, about 600,000 people in seven prefectures and cities have been affected by the drought since April, with half of them lacking drinking water, according to the regional civil affairs department.

Some 150,000 hectares of farmland and 16.4 million hectares of pastures have been affected in the worst drought in three years. About 1.34 million heads of cattle also lack drinking water.

The worst drought since 1961, caused by more than 140 consecutive days without precipitation, has severely affected about 98 percent of pastures in Araxan prefecture, said the report.

Large swathes of Henan province have seen only about 10 percent of the average annual precipitation, making it the driest year since 1975.

About a million hectares of crops in the province had been affected by the drought as of July 26, 2014, said the report.

Pingdingshan City has had its worst drought since 1975. The Baiguishan Reservoir, the major source of drinking water in the city, was at dead storage level.

Water supply for car wash businesses, commercial swimming pools and public baths has been cut off in the city. Major water-consuming enterprises were ordered to restrict their consumption.

In the provincial capital of Zhengzhou City, the municipal power grid decided to restrict power supply for some residential compounds, enterprises and business operators for four days starting on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the temperatures are  forest to soar above above 35ºC in most  parts of the region this week,   according to the local meteorological office.