Heat-weary Chongqing, Sichuan now on flood alert
A southwestern part of the mainland that has suffered scorching temperatures this month is now on alert for flooding amid days of torrential rain. Downpours in the sprawling manufacturing hub of Chongqing and nearby areas of Sichuan province follow severe power shortages in the same areas caused by heavy use of air conditioning and falling reservoir levels. Rainy days are forecast to persist in west China over the next ten days, according to the country’s meteorological authority. It added the cumulative rainfall will be significantly higher than normal.  Authorities on Sunday launched a Level-IV emergency response for floods in Sichuan and Chongqing, the Ministry of Emergency Management said. China has a four-tier flood-control emergency response system, with Level-I being the most severe. Earlier this month, the government declared a national drought emergency. Many parts of southern China have seen temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius over the past few weeks, in what is widely considered the hottest period since the government began compiling information in 1961. Chongqing suffered almost three weeks without rain and has been rationing electricity, crimping output from factories of major global companies. Besides drought, extreme heat along the Yangtze River Basin has also threatened crops around many cities and localities, and caused the soil to dry up, increasing the risk of natural disasters once rainfall hits. Chongqing and Sichuan have also battled forest fires.  The torrential rain of Monday and Tuesday is forecast to hit the eastern and southwestern parts of the Sichuan Basin and western and northern Chongqing. (Xinhua/Reuters)