Hong Kong (CNN)Chinese planes fire rods skyward to increase precipitation on critical Yangtze River doing.Partially dry as parts of the country are hit by drought, facing the worst heat wave on record.
Weather modification programs have been initiated in some areas of the Yangtze River, but too thin cloud cover has put operations on hold in some areas devastated by drought in the river basin. stay.
In a notice Wednesday, the Ministry of Water Resources said the drought across the Yangtze River Basin was "adversely affecting the availability of drinking water for rural people and livestock, as well as the growth of crops."
On Wednesday, central China's Hubei province announced it would seed clouds using silver iodide rods to induce rain.
Silver iodide rods, typically cigarette-sized, are driven into existing clouds to help form ice crystals. Crystals help clouds produce more rain, making their water content heavier and more likely to be released.
Cloud seeding has been practiced since the 1940s. and China has the largest program in the world. Seeding was used prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympics to ensure dry weather for the event. This technique can also be used to induce snowfall or soften hail.
At least 4.2 million people in Hubei province have been affected by a severe drought since June, the Hubei provincial emergency management bureau said on Tuesday. More than 150,000 people have difficulty accessing drinking water, and nearly 400,000 hectares of crops have been damaged by high temperatures and drought.
Communities often depend on these bodies of water for economic activity, and governments have had to intervene in adaptation and relief funds, at great cost.
China is deploying such funds and developing new sources of supply to address the impact on crops and livestock. Some livestock have been temporarily moved to other areas, the Ministry of Finance announced earlier this week, adding that he will issue 300 million yuan ($44.3 million) for disaster relief.
China's largest hydropower project, the Three Gorges Dam, will also increase its discharge by 500 million cubic meters over the next 10 days to increase downstream supplies, the Ministry of Water Resources said on Tuesday.
The 'longest' and 'strongest' heat wave on record
China issued its highest red heat alert on Wednesday for at least 138 cities and counties across the country. issued the order. Another 373 were classified as the second highest orange warning, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
As of Monday, the heat wave in China lasted his 64 days, the longest in more than 60 years since full records began in his 1961, the National Climate Center said. said in a statement. He also said it was "the strongest" on record and warned it could get worse in the coming days.
"This heat wave is protracted, widespread and extremely intense," the statement said. "All indications are that the heat wave in China will continue and intensify." ) recorded the number of counties and cities exceeding A total of 262 meteorological stations recorded temperatures of 40°C or higher, which is also the highest number. 8 reached 44°C.
Sustained high temperatures are forecast for the Sichuan Basin and much of central China through 26 August.
A "special case" of anticyclone from the subtropical anticyclone in the western Pacific is spreading across the land. Cai Wenju, a climate researcher at CSIRO, Australia's national scientific research organization, said much of Asia was likely responsible for the extreme heat.
