Heavy rain was forecast for parts of Sichuan province and Chongqing city until at least Tuesday. Chongqing, a megacity built on a hilly area that also oversees the surrounding mountains and countryside, issued a flood warning for both days. The Sichuan emergency management administration announced on Monday that 119,000 people had been evacuated. A village under the jurisdiction of Guangyuan City recorded 18.8 centimeters (7.4 inches) of rain, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The city was one of two in Sichuan that were hardest hit by the drought.
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Story continues below ad 1:47 The dangers of indoor heat The dangers of indoor heat – August 18, 2022 A national level IV flood emergency response, the lowest in a four-tier system, is in effect in Sichuan, Chongqing and neighboring Gansu and Shaanxi provinces to the north. The hard, sunburned soil left by the heatwave increases the risk of natural disasters when it rains, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Trending Stories
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The change in weather brought some relief from the heat and full power was restored to factories in Sichuan after two weeks of restrictions stemming from reduced hydropower production. The rain should help farmers whose rice, Sichuan peppercorns and other crops withered during a prolonged drought that has reduced community reservoirs on mostly cracked land. Temperatures topped 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in what forecasters called China’s worst heat wave since record-keeping began in 1961. Story continues below ad 2:00 Health experts warn of heat hazards indoors amid heat wave in western Canada Health experts warn of heat hazards indoors amid heat wave in western Canada – August 18, 2022 Power in Sichuan for commercial and industrial use “has been fully restored,” CCTV said on its website. Household demand for air conditioning declined as temperatures moderated and rainfall began to replenish hydroelectric reservoirs. Hydropower production in the province rose 9.5 percent from its low point, state television reported. Daily household electricity use fell 28 percent from a peak of 473 million to 340 million kilowatt-hours, the report said, citing Zhao Hong, marketing director for State Grid’s Sichuan subsidiary. “The contradiction between electricity supply and demand in Sichuan will be basically resolved in the next three days,” Zhao was quoted as saying. A drop in hydropower generation has prompted Sichuan’s utilities to step up use of coal-fired power plants, temporarily delaying efforts to reduce carbon and other emissions. Story continues below ad The share of power in Sichuan that comes from coal has jumped to 25 percent from 10 percent with 67 power plants operating at full capacity, according to Caixin, a Chinese business news magazine. Sichuan is commonly seen as a success story for clean energy in China, receiving 80% of its electricity from hydropower. © 2022 The Canadian Press
