Droughts and forest fires engulf China amid 70-day long intense heatwave

Asia-Pacific, News August 23, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

China is facing extreme heatwave and severe droughts. Several mountain forest fires have been reported in southwest and central China.

Massive forest fires have erupted in China’s Sichuan Province, Guanxi Province, and Chongqing due to extreme temperatures. The Forest Chief of Chongqing city released urgent orders to strengthen the fire prevention mechanism in the nearby forests as well as ensure the safety of people’s lives and properties in the affected regions.

Chongqing is among the most affected regions with fires, droughts, and extreme temperatures. The weather forecast continues to show high temperatures in the coming days as well, with the highest temperatures reaching 45 degrees Celsius. Mountain forests in the regions of Jiangjin, Dazu, Tongliang, and Banan have been reported to see contentious forest fires since August 18.

The fire departments in the region have been working to put out the fires at several locations. In order to counter the forest fires and droughts, scientists from China’s meteorological department are carrying out several cloud seeding operations in an attempt to induce rainfall.

In Anhui province, meteorologists blasted nearly 1,000 salt flares into the clouds during a two-day operation. The resulting rain varied in different areas. Similarly, in Hubei province, 159 different cloud seeding operations were carried out, while in Chongqing city, more than 625 cloud seeding cannons and two cloud seeding rockets were fired into the sky in a desperate attempt to make it rain.

More than 5000 personnel from the fire department, armed police, and forest department have been deployed to dispatch immediate rescue and relief efforts. Seven helicopters have also been dedicated to carrying out relief operations in the affected areas. According to the forest department of Chongqing, more than 15000 people have been rescued and evacuated from the affected areas.

China is going through an unparalleled and unprecedented heatwave that has spanned up to 70 days and still continues. Lower precipitation rates this summer have also affected China’s hydro-power production capabilities, widening the gap between the power supply and power demand in many major cities.

*^{Firefighters work on extinguishing a forest fire in Sichuan province, China. (Image Credit: China Daily via Reuters)}*

The government is taking desperate measures to keep the systems running. The government in the Sichuan province has asked the citizens not to lower the air conditioning below 26 degrees Celsius. Workers are also being advised by the government to use staircases instead of lifts and elevators in order to save electricity.

Several factories have halted their production plants due to extreme temperatures and power shortages in Sichuan province. Some remote towns and villages have also reported blackouts. A notice posted on the provincial government’s website stated that Sichuan had only “encountered [such] extreme high temperature once in 60 years” and that the average rainfall had fallen by 51 percent from the same period in 2021.

“The sharp drop in water inflow from major river basins has caused a sudden drop in the output of hydro-power generation. The contradiction between power supply and demand in the province is very prominent.” the notice read.