Forecast for later this week is rain. And a fair amount of it too. That’s a relief, for while a deluge has come to southern China the past few days, some extreme measures have been implemented of late in Jiangsu to prevent one of the biggest droughts ever.
The last month, in particular, has seen precipitation levels reach their lowest for over half a century in some parts. The Huaibei region of Jiangsu, essentially comprising Xuzhou, Lianyungang and Suqian, has reported rainfall as being 40-80 percent less than in previous years for the period since 1 April.
Ground zero for the drought is without doubt Xuzhou. There, in Pei County and Suining County, rainfall during that same period has been the least since 1961. Xuzhou launched a city-wide, level-4 emergency response to the drought on 13 May.
Overall, cumulative precipitation for the Huaibei region since May amounts to just 25.8 mm, some 73 percent less than the same period in previous years. Meanwhile, waters flowing in the upper reaches of the River Huai River amount to 650 million cubic metres. That’s down a lot too, some 62 percent.
And highlighting the particularly-serious drought situation is the fact that there is basically no water in both the Yishu and Si Rivers, as the Yangtze Evening News reports.
So what’s being done about the drought in northern Jiangsu?
That’s where the Jiangsu Provincial Water Resources Department comes in. Over the past month, it has activated the Yangtze River’s Northward and Eastward Diversion projects.
Together, they have drawn 3.26 billion cubic metres of water from the Yangtze, to replenish Hongze Lake, Luoma Lake and the Shilianghe Reservoir.
Emergency-water supply measures have also been implemented, with their use carefully “planned”. That’s one stop short of being rationed. Authorities are also seeking to reassure the public that every effort is being made to ensure sufficient water for urban life, key industries and shipping.
But while we spend the next couple of days looking forward to rain, for once, it is also worth remembering that we have been here before, and not so long ago. September of 2022 saw parts of Shiju Lake in Nanjing become as dry as a bone, while local reservoirs were also all but completely emptied.
This is, after all, why we have them. And why they are about to receive a good topping up as the rest of this week plays out.
