The hottest, driest summer since Chinese records began 61 years ago, has wilted crops and left reservoirs at half their normal water level.
| China says it will try to protect its grain harvest from record-setting drought by using chemicals to generate rain, while factories in the south-west waited on Sunday to see whether they would be shut down for another week due to shortages of water to generate hydropower.
Authorities will “try to increase rain” by seeding clouds with chemicals and spray crops with a “water retaining agent” to limit evaporation, Mr Tang’s ministry said on its website. It gave no details of where that would be done.The disruption adds to challenges for the ruling Communist Party, which is trying to shore up sagging economic growth before a meeting in October or November when President Xi Jinping is expected to try to award himself a third five-year term as leader.
A document that circulated on social media and said it was from the Sichuan Economic and Information Industry Department said the closure would be extended until Thursday, but there was no official confirmation. Hubei’s government declared a drought emergency on Saturday and said it would release disaster aid. The Sichuan government said 819,000 people face a shortage of drinking water.
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