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After the heat, the deluge: China’s scorched Chongqing, Sichuan now on flood alert
- Emergency flood-prevention response triggered as torrential downpours that began on Sunday are forecast to extend until Tuesday
- This comes after both areas suffered weeks of record heatwaves, causing a power crunch that hit factory output for global firms
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A southwestern part of China that has suffered scorching temperatures for weeks is now on alert for flooding amid days of torrential rain.
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Downpours in the sprawling manufacturing hub of Chongqing and nearby Sichuan province follow severe power shortages caused by heavy use of air conditioning and falling reservoir levels.
The rain began on Sunday and is forecast to extend into Tuesday. The government initiated an emergency flood-prevention response in Sichuan and Chongqing at 6pm on Sunday.
The Sichuan emergency management administration on Monday said 119,000 people had been moved to safer ground, Associated Press reported.
Earlier this month, the government declared a national drought emergency.
03:44
First Covid, now historic heatwave hits farmers in southwest China hard
First Covid, now historic heatwave hits farmers in southwest China hard
Many parts of southern China have seen temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) over the past few weeks, in what is widely considered the hottest period since records began in 1961.
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