Published: 10 Aug 2013 - 01:47 am | Last Updated: 31 Jan 2022 - 11:44 pm
BEIJING: China is spending almost £20m to artificially trigger rain, helping farmers whose crops are suffering due to the scorching summer weather.
The ministry of finance announced on Thursday that it had allocated 199m yuan from central funds to the drought-easing measures, which involve firing silver iodide or dry ice into clouds.
A heatwave across central and eastern China has led to drinking water shortages for almost three million people in Jiangxi and Hubei and hit crops.
On Wednesday, Shanghai saw its hottest day since records began 140 years ago, with temperatures soaring to 40.8 degrees Celsius, and authorities issued a fifth red alert warning for further extreme heat. Local media published pictures of prawns and meat cooking in pans set on manhole covers.
At least 10 people have died in the city’s heatwave, while officials say Hunan and Chongqing have each seen three deaths from heatstroke.
Electricity output soared to an all-time high in China last month with experts blaming increased use of air conditioners, and some areas in the south have complained of power failures.
Ma Xuekuan, chief forecaster of the National Meteorological Office, said temperatures across the south should begin to drop from August 13 but might remain above 35 degrees in some areas. While some areas are struggling to cope with the lack of rain and the drying up of water sources, others have endured downpours.
In Heilongjiang, in the northeast, workers have increased flood protection measures after weeks of heavy rain.
Lin Erda, a member of the national expert committee on climate change and an expert at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said he believed artificial precipitation would be effective in some areas, but noted that it worked only under certain conditions. “In the long run, we can only prepare to deal with climate change, and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases to slow down global warming.”
