China Battles Record-Breaking Heatwave with Reliefs, Cloud Seeding, and New Supplies

Strategic Insights -

For over two months, China has been gripped by a severe heatwave, with temperatures soaring to record-breaking highs of 40C (104F) and beyond, disrupting crop growth, threatening livestock, and forcing industries to shut down in the hydropower-dependent regions of the southwest. The heatwave, fueled by a "special case" of high pressure from a West Pacific subtropical high, has prompted China to deploy relief funds, seed clouds, and develop new sources of supply to alleviate power shortages and bring water to the drought-hit basin of the Yangtze river. As the country faces a proliferation of extreme weather events in coming years, China is scrambling to adapt to climate change and mitigate the effects of rising temperatures.

Key Takeaways:

  • The heatwave has disrupted crop growth, threatened livestock, and forced industries to shut down in the hydropower-dependent regions of the southwest, with hydropower making up about 80% of Sichuan's power capacity.
  • China's southwestern province of Sichuan has announced plans to ration power supplies to homes, offices, and shopping malls, while also ordering energy-intensive metals and fertiliser producers to curb operations.
  • Power shortages have prompted several companies in the Chongqing region to suspend production, and Chinese vice premier Han Zheng has called for further efforts to ensure power supply for residents and key industries.
  • The water flow in the Yangtze river has reduced by as much as half, leading to drought throughout the basin and affecting drinking water for rural people and livestock, as well as crop growth.
  • China's biggest hydropower project, the Three Gorges dam, will step up water discharges by 500 million cubic meters over the next 10 days to boost downstream supplies.
  • The Chinese government has allocated 300 million yuan ($44.30 million) in disaster relief funds, and airplanes have been used to fire silver iodide into the clouds to induce rainfall in drought-hit areas.
  • The heatwave has run for 64 days, making it the longest on record since 1961, with as many as 262 weather stations recording temperatures of 40C (104F) and above.

Statistics:

  • The average precipitation in Sichuan is 51% less than that of previous years, according to state news agency Xinhua.
  • 8 weather stations have recorded temperatures of 44C (111F).
  • 500 million cubic meters of water will be discharged from the Three Gorges dam over the next 10 days.
  • 300 million yuan ($44.30 million) in disaster relief funds have been allocated.
  • 64 days is the longest duration of the heatwave on record since 1961.
  • 262 weather stations have recorded temperatures of 40C (104F) and above.

Sources:

  • Xinhua state news agency
  • Sichuan Daily
  • State Grid Corporation
  • National Climate Centre
  • Sichuan Provincial Government
  • Chinese Ministry of Water Resources
  • Chinese Ministry of Finance