China heatwave and drought: digging after dark to feed crops as largest lake runs dry

With China’s biggest freshwater lake dried to historic lows by drought, work crews are digging trenches to keep water flowing to irrigate crops.

This comes after a dramatic decline in water levels in Poyang Lake in the central province of Jiangxi cut off irrigation channels to neighbouring farmlands in one of China’s key rice-growing regions.

But the crews using excavators to dig the trenches can only work after dark due to the daytime heat, Xinhua reported.

Large parts of China are currently witnessing a record heatwave. High temperatures have sparked mountain fires that have forced the evacuation of 1,500 people in southwest China, and factories have cut production as hydroelectric plants reduce output amid drought conditions.

The drought and heat have wilted crops and shrunk rivers including the giant Yangtze, disrupting cargo traffic and reducing power output.

Fed by China’s major rivers, Poyang Lake averages around 3,500 sq km (1,400 square miles) at its fullest, but has now contracted to just 737 sq km.

Yangtze River, lakes at record lows as heatwaves, drought hit southern China

A wide swathe of western and central China has seen days of temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), in summer heatwaves that have started earlier and lasted longer than usual.

In the hard-hit southwestern city of Chongqing, department stores have delayed their opening to 4pm. Residents have been seeking respite from the heat in air raid shelters dating from World War II.

That reflects the situation in Europe and elsewhere in the Northern hemisphere, with high temperatures are taking a toll on public health, food production and the environment in general.