Heat waves in northern and central China pushed electricity demand to record levels as millions of people turned on their air conditioners to cope with the high temperatures, while floods in the south of the country plunged villages under water and cut off city dwellers in their homes.
Today, China’s meteorological administration issued ‘orange’ alerts for high temperatures in areas in Shandong, Henan and Hebei provinces.
Several cities in Shandong, China’s second most populous province, have issued a ‘red alert’ for high temperatures, leading to an increase in demand for air conditioners among more than 100 million people.
Temperatures in these areas were expected to exceed 40 degrees Celsius this week, according to the state meteorological service.
The maximum electricity load in Shandong grid was 92.94 million kilowatts yesterday, surpassing the 2020 high of 90.22 million kilowatts and setting a new record, according to state television.
Loads in neighboring Henan Province reached 71.08 million kilowatts on Monday, surpassing the previous day’s record of 65.34 million kilowatts, according to state media.
Prime Minister Li Keqiang, during a visit to a thermal power plant in northern China’s Hebei province, said the country needed to increase coal production to “resolutely prevent power outages,” according to state media reports late yesterday. .
Parts of Hebei, Henan and Shandong have been facing near-drought conditions throughout June, with high temperatures being recorded earlier this year than in previous years.
Floods
Heavy rains hit northern and central China, causing heavy rainfall in seven southern provinces, including Guangdong, the country’s most populous country.
Today, in 113 rivers in China the water level exceeded the alarm levels, while in 7 of them it reached historically high levels, as announced by the Ministry of Water Resources according to the state television.
In Guangdong, the provincial emergency management department said heavy rains affected 479,600 people and caused the collapse of 1,729 homes, causing financial losses of 1.756 billion yuan ($ 261 million), according to the New China (XU).
Residents in Yingde, a city in Guangdong where the flood warning was upgraded to Level 1, said on social media that there was a water and electricity outage as the area was flooded.
China has a four-tier alarm system, where Level 1 corresponds to the most serious flood risk.
“The water came very quickly and I think many did not have food supplies in their homes,” said a user on the Chinese Weibo platform.
Stores such as oil and rice have been depleted from the shops as residents rushed to buy them in large quantities, a local resident told Reuters.
Authorities in Gingde evacuated some residents to the southern part of the city and advised others not to leave their homes.
In Jiangxi Province, stranded villagers were rescued, according to state television, as roads were flooded and bridges were inaccessible.
Source: Capital
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