A scorching heat wave engulfed China in the country’s hottest summer on record, subsuming half of its land in drought.
The world’s second-largest economy has experienced more than 70 days of heat waves, flash floods and droughts – phenomena that scientists say are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change.
Southern China recorded its longest continuous period of high temperatures since records began more than 60 years ago, the agriculture ministry said earlier this week.
The worst affected area is the Yangtze River Basin, which stretches from the coast of Shanghai to Sichuan Province in southwest China.
Sichuan province, China’s largest hydropower producer, has seen its supply capacity collapse due to a long drought in the Yangtze basin, fueling fears the country could face another power shortage. devastating electricity.
In parts of Sichuan and Chongqing, residents seeking cooler temperatures have started sleeping in parking lots and subway stations due to daily power cuts.
Diners in Chongqing, meanwhile, head to restaurants housed in World War II-era air-raid shelters in an attempt to escape the heat.
And along the Yangtze and its tributary the Jialing, people took the opportunity to explore newly exposed riverbeds and swim in shallow waters.
Here’s what the situation looks like on the ground: