Drought strikes China following a record hot.

  According to government data released ahead of even hotter temperatures on Thursday, a catastrophic drought that was made worse by a record heatwave has stretched across half of China and reached the typically chilly Tibetan Plateau. Over 70 days of heatwaves, flash floods, and droughts were experienced in the country with the second-largest economy in the world. Scientists claim that these natural occurrences are growing more common and severe as a result of climate change. According to the agriculture ministry, Southern China has had the longest stretch of consecutively high temperatures since records have been kept more than 60 years ago. According to experts, the current heatwave may rank among the worst ever observed throughout human history due to its severity, size, and endurance. According to a map released by the National Climate Centre on Wednesday, the Tibetan Plateau and other parts of southern China were both facing "severe" to "exceptional" drought conditions. More than 370 million people live in the Yangtze river basin, which stretches from Shanghai's shoreline to Sichuan province in southwest China. This region is home to major manufacturing hubs, notably the megacity of Chongqing. On Thursday, the China Meteorological Administration forecasted that Chongqing and the provinces of Sichuan and Zhejiang would continue to experience high temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

But the heatwave was relieved in some areas. According to state broadcaster CCTV, parts of southwest Sichuan were lashed by severe rains overnight, forcing the evacuation of over 30,000 people. Additionally, on Thursday morning, Typhoon Ma-on made landfall in coastal Hong Kong and Guangdong province in the southeast. According to the meteorological administration, the areas in south China, Jiangxi, and Anhui have essentially experienced a decrease in high temperatures. But regions like the Sichuan basin and the provinces surrounding Shanghai will continue to see high temperatures for the next three days. The drought conditions, which the government has warned pose a "serious threat" to this year's autumn harvest, led China's State Council to declare a 10 billion yuan ($1.45 billion) subsidy on Wednesday to assist rice farmers. China produces more than 95% of the rice, wheat, and maize it eats; nevertheless, a smaller harvest may result in a greater need for imports in the world's most populous nation, placing additional strain on already-stressed global supplies due to the crisis in Ukraine. Trucks were seen helping people in rural Sichuan and Chongqing who lacked drinking and agricultural water on Wednesday's CCTV evening news broadcast.

Since last week, these areas have also been dealing with wildfires, which have been made worse by the extreme heat and lack of water. The Chongqing authorities promised emergency efforts to protect pig farms, and a Sichuan farmer's tearful appeal went viral after she claimed that all of her chicks had perished owing to the temperatures and power outages. Livestock owners have fared poorly overall. Residents in Chongqing expressed their frustration on social media over waiting in line for mandatory mass testing for hours in the sweltering heat as a result of a Covid epidemic. Due to frequent power outages, inhabitants in Sichuan and Chongqing have started sleeping in parking lots and subway stations in order to escape the heat. As cities struggle to keep up with a surge in electricity consumption, temperatures as high as 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) have prompted some Chinese provinces to enforce industrial power cuts. The Yangtze River's water levels have dropped to record lows, which has put stress on the area's hydropower plants. The National Energy Administration promised Wednesday to increase coal production to make up the shortage. In Sichuan, where temperatures on Wednesday reached 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit), recent heat waves surpassed records. 

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