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China’s Ministry of Water Resources warned that severe drought conditions in the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze river could last well into September as local governments race to find new supply sources and irrigate crops ahead of the autumn harvest.
Normal water flows could still be months away, with rainfall expected to remain low until the end of August and beyond, said the ministry. “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.”
Rainfall in the Yangtze basin has been around 45% lower than normal since July, and high temperatures are likely to persist for at least another week, according to official forecasts. Water levels on the main trunk of the Yangtze and the vital flood basin lakes of Dongting and Poyang are now at least 4.85 metres (16 feet) shallower than normal, and the lowest on record for the period, officials said.
Rice and other autumn crops were now at a “critical period” when it comes to irrigation, warned Liu Weiping, Vice-Minister of Water Resources, at a news briefing.
Around 820,000 hectares (2 million acres) of arable land from Sichuan in the southwest to central China’s Anhui have suffered damage, affecting 830,000 people as well as 160,000 head of livestock, mostly in areas relying on smaller reservoirs or mountain springs for irrigation, he said.