Extreme heat kills at least 40 people in south China
A heatwave that has been hovering over a large region encompassing eight provinces and municipalities in central, eastern and southern China has already been the longest lasting since 1961 (presumably when record-keeping began), with the temperatures reaching or exceeding 35ºC for an average of 25.3 day since July 1, said the National Meteorological Center (NMC).
[Note: the actual number of people killed as a result of the heatwave may be much higher.]
“Authorities have for the first time declared the heat to be a second-level weather emergency, a label normally used for typhoons and floods. The NMC issued a second-level heat alert on Tuesday for the next 20 days.”
Worsening drought an the long-lasting heatwave have “taken a heavy toll on agriculture and made drinking water increasingly difficult to obtain,” said the report.
At least 130 million people in China have been affected by the drought and extreme heat. More than 10 million people, and as many livestock, are short of drinking water, FIRE-EARTH estimates. See earlier posts on China drought.
Original caption: Withered tea plants are seen at a Longjing tea protection area in Hangzhou City, capital of east China’s Zhejiang Province, Aug. 12, 2013. More than 40 percent tea plants in the Longjing tea protection areas in Hangzhou died of the continuous scorching weather in recent days. (Xinhua/Long Wei). More images…
Related Links: Drought, Extreme Heat Cripple China, Japan, S. Korea
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Iraq Death Toll
Since August 1, at least 400 people have been killed and more than 2,500 others wounded amid growing violence in Iraq.
- In July, at least 1,057 people were killed and thousands more injured.
- Since the beginning of this year, at least 4,500 people have lost their lives to the violence.
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Vietnam’s coffee crop forecast down in 2013-2014
Vietnam’s coffee production for 2013-2014 is estimated at about 1.2 million tons, a decrease of 15 percent compared to the previous year, said the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association (Vicofa).
The decrease is due to the drought and hail in June, which damaged about 5,000 hectares of coffee plantation and affected other 27,000 hectares, said a report.
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Fishery disaster declared in Apalachicola
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Pritzker has declared a commercial fishery failure for the oyster fishery in Apalachicola Bay, said a report.
“Gov. Rick Scott requested the declaration in September 2012 because the fishery was near collapse. A May 2013 state report sent last week to federal officials blames lack of fresh water flowing from federal reservoirs in Georgia and Alabama.”
“Pritzker declared the commercial fishery failure for the oyster fishery along the west coast of Florida. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the fishery resource disaster resulted from excessive drought conditions in Apalachicola Bay and elsewhere in the Florida panhandle during the 2012-13 winter fishing season.” More…
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Cholera outbreak infects 1,500 in NE Afghanistan
A cholera outbreak in northeast Afghanistan has infected 1,492 people, killing at least one person and leaving more than 100 in critical condition, local officials told reporters.
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Original caption: 
Fire Earth 