The 1,400-sq-mile Poyang Lake has shrunk to 285 sq miles affecting irrigation of key rice-growing regions
With China's biggest freshwater lake dried to
historic lows by drought, work crews are digging trenches to keep water
flowing to irrigate crops.
The dramatic decline of water coverage in Poyang Lake in the
had cut off irrigation channels to neighboring farmlands in one of China's
key rice-growing regions.
But the crews using excavators to dig the trenches only work
after dark due to the daytime heat, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
High temperatures have sparked mountain fires that have
forced the evacuation of 1,500 people in southwest China, and factories have
cutproduction as hydroelectric plants reduce their 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 square kilometers (1,400 square miles) at high season, but has contracted
to just 737 square kilometers (285 square miles) amid the recent drought.
A wide swath of western and central China has seen days of
40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), in summer heat waves that have started
earlier and lasted longer than usual.
In the hard-hit city of Chongqing, department stores have
delayed their opening to 4 p.m. Residents have been
seekingrespite 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 taking a toll on public health,
food production and the environment in general.
Picture credit: AP
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