World Journal: Persistent High Temperatures in Chongqing City Cost 2.1 Billion Yuan of Economic Loss

(Clearwisdom.net) On August 11^th, Xinhau News Agency [Chinese Government Controlled National News Agency] in Chongqing City (Sichuan Province) reported that Chongqing City, also commonly known as the "furnace," has already experienced a "high fever" for more than forty days this summer. The continuous hot, dry temperatures have decreased crop production and caused economic losses amounting to 2.1 billion Yuan (1 US$ converts to 8.28 Chinese Yuan).

The Deputy Mayor of Chongqing, Chen Quangguo, stated that since June, major areas in Chongqing have had continuous clear weather and high temperatures. For more than forty days in a row, temperatures have risen over 35 C (95 F). In seriously drought affected areas the mercury has soared to over 40 C. (104 F) for more than fifty successive days. Such persistent high temperatures have not occurred in Chongqing since 1971.

Due to the fact that regional precipitation in most areas of Chongqing has not reached 70mm, which is more than 60 percent lower than previous years, over forty counties throughout the city experienced enormous drought. Severe losses in agricultural production resulted in an estimated reduction of 1,910,000 tons of output, leading to economic losses of 2.1 billion Yuan.

At present, many brooks and rivers in Chongqing City have stopped flowing; ponds and reservoirs have dried up. The water levels of Changjiang and Jialing Rivers have dropped to a much lower level than the same period in previous years. The seven counties of Bishan, Tongliang, Dazu, Yongchuan, Dianjiang, Liangping, and Nanchuan, along with 105 townships and 896 villages are suffering severe water shortages. Three million and sixty-nine thousand people, and close to three million large livestock, all face drinking-water problems. Some villages in Zhongxian, Bishan and Beipei Counties have resorted to water carts to deliver water.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.cc/mh/articles/2001/8/13/14719.html

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