A worker sprays water at a construction site amid a red alert for high temperatures, in Beijing, China June 23, 2023. FILE PHOTO REUTERS
BEIJING — About 3 million hectares of farmland in China is suffering from drought, state media reported on Sunday, after record high temperatures hit much of the country’s north since last week.
About 200,000 people and 760,000 head of cattle do not have access to enough water, Xinhua reported, citing the Ministry of Water Resources.
The areas affected are mainly the northwestern region of Inner Mongolia, known for its grasslands that feed sheep and cattle, as well as northern Hebei province and northeastern Liaoning, two important areas for the production of corn and dairy products.
China’s capital Beijing topped 40 degrees Celsius (104F) on Saturday for a third record-breaking day, as rare high temperatures for June scorched an area the size of California in northern China.
Some neighboring parts of Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Inner Mongolia and Tianjin have raised or maintained their hot weather alert to “red”, the highest in China’s four-level warning system.
Southwestern Yunnan, which has already endured months of drought since last year, is also facing water shortages, according to the Xinhua report.
High temperatures eased on Sunday but are expected to return on Tuesday, possibly topping 40 degrees Celsius again in Beijing, Tianjin and southern Hebei, state broadcaster CCTV said Monday.
Parts of eastern Jilin and eastern Liaoning, maize-producing provinces in the northeast, are expected to experience heavy rains from Monday, CCTV added.
Meanwhile, many southern parts of the country received heavy rain over the weekend, including southern Guangdong province, eastern Zhejiang and Shanghai, causing flooding in 15 rivers, according to the report. from Xinhua.
RELATED STORIES
Beijing sweats in extreme heat of over 40C for record third day
Beijing raises hot weather warning to highest level
Your subscription could not be registered. Try Again.
Your subscription was successful.
Click on here for more weather information.
Read more
To subscribe to MORE APPLICANT to access The Philippine Daily Inquirer and over 70 titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to news, download as early as 4am and share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
For comments, complaints or inquiries, Contact us.
