rivers dry up in China due to record drought

China also faces extreme drought and heat. The ongoing drought is already breaking records and no rain is forecast at this time. High temperatures are expected to continue through September.

The Yangtze, the third largest river in the world, has dried up in some places. Due to the low water level, hardly any electricity can be produced by hydroelectric plants at a time when demand is high. The air conditioning of buildings and Chinese houses is running at full speed.

Sichuan province is particularly affected by the electricity shortage because the region is 80% dependent on hydroelectricity; electricity produced with water. The neighboring province of Hubei is also facing a power shortage.

Drought also leads to forest fires. In the southwest of the country, 1,500 people were evacuated from the advancing fire. At least 5,000 civilians and soldiers are trying to control the fires.

China said it was the hottest and driest summer since national measures began in 1961. Temperatures have been above 40 degrees for more than a week.

The water level of the Jialing River, a tributary of the Yangtze, has nearly dropped to the lowest level on record. Despite the low water level, people head to the rivers for a refreshing swim. Temperatures in China locally reach 45 degrees.

In the Yangtze, these Buddhist statues have emerged, which Chinese state media say are around 600 years old. The statues were found on the highest part of an island called Foyeliang, reports CNN.

Also in Europe came different places old ships and texts emerge through falling water level in rivers.

Factories in southwestern Sichuan province are forced to cut production to save electricity for homes. Shopping malls in metropolitan Chongqing are closed for most of the day due to the power shortage.

As in Europe, trade in China is made more difficult as ships cannot navigate rivers or with less freight due to low water levels.

Chinese farmers are also suffering from the drought. Crops fail because crops do not get enough water. State media say the government will do its best to secure the grain harvest in the fall. To do this, chemicals are sprayed into the clouds which generate rain.

Due to hot and dry weather, the Chinese government issued a nationwide drought alert on Friday. The hardest-hit regions of the country are in the southwest, such as Sichuan Province, which has a population of 81 million. But temperatures are also high in the country’s capital, Beijing.