Beijing, Aug 22 The drought in China has caused some rivers to dry up, including parts of the Yangtze, affecting hydropower, shipping, and forcing major companies to suspend operations.
According to The Guardian, a long-running and severe heatwave was predicted to persist well into September in China’s heavily populated south-west.
Over 80 percent of Sichuan’s energy is derived from hydropower, which is suffering from a “grave situation” due to water flow restrictions.
It declared on Sunday that it was at the highest warning level of “particularly severe”, with water flow to Sichuan’s hydropower reservoirs halved. Local media reported that electricity demand has increased by 25% this summer.
A week ago. Due to the shortage, thousands of factories were without power or had their power supply limited.
Over the last fortnight, Toyota, Foxconn, and Tesla have temporarily suspended operations at some plants.
In Sunday’s South China Morning Post (SCMP), it was reported that production would not resume this week.
According to The Guardian, the Yangtze River is the world’s third largest river, providing drinking water to more than 400 million Chinese people.
This summer, it has reached record-low water levels, with dozens of tributaries and entire sections drying up.
On the main trunk of the Yangtze, water flow is more than 50% lower than average.
There have also been closures of shipping routes in the middle and lower sections of the river, according to the SCMP report.