Extreme weather hits China, bringing drought to some areas and flooding further south
- The drought is affecting farmers in the grain-producing province of Henan, but vast swathes of the south have been hit by heavy rainfall
The central province of Henan, along with Shandong to the east, has seen little rainfall since April and that, along with high temperatures, is causing water shortages that affect both agriculture and household use.
The local meteorological department predicts no significant rainfall in Henan until at least Friday exacerbating the problem at a crucial time in the summer planting season.
Henan is a major grain-producing area and, according to state broadcaster CCTV last week, the drought has prevented the planting of at least 1.3 million hectares (3.2 million acres) of farmland in Henan, accounting for 3.5 per cent of the area’s summer planting area.
The municipal agricultural bureau in the provincial capital Zhengzhou activated a level-four agricultural drought emergency response last Thursday, the lowest in a four-tier system, and then raised it to level three the following day.
“The timing is critical as the drought coincides with the planting season, a period when crops are heavily reliant on water. Insufficient soil moisture can hinder seed germination, while delayed planting could shorten the growth period and reduce crop yields,” a local farmer told South Reviews magazine.