High temps, drought in China affect drinking water, crops
Unusually high temperatures and a prolonged drought are affecting large swaths of China, reducing crop yields and drinking water supplies
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Unusually high temperatures and a prolonged drought are affecting large swaths of China, reducing crop yields and drinking water supplies.
The lack of rain has been especially marked in the southwestern megacity of Chongqing, which encompasses a large area of mountains and rivers.
State media on Tuesday reported fire trucks were delivering water to outlying villages for drinking and irrigating crops.
Rainfall in Chongqing has been half of what is usually expected for the year and some smaller waterways have dried up entirely.
Authorities have issued warnings of temperatures exceeding 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). Many parts of China have broken records for high temperatures this year.
Amid the drought, other areas of China have been hit by flash floods, underscoring the effects of climate change on the vast nation of 1.4 billion people stretching from the mountains and deserts of Central Asia to the South China Sea.
The Chongqing drought has affected more than 600,000 people and 36,700 hectares (90,690 acres) of crops, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Neighboring Hubei province has also been badly hit, with some areas reporting the growing season a complete failure, Xinhua said.