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BEIJING (AP) — China is reeling from a pair of extreme weather conditions, with heavy rains and flooding in parts of the south and heat waves and potential drought in the north.
Two days later, the body of a student was found in a swollen river in the southern city of Guilin, CCTV Online reported. Elsewhere in Guangxi, heavy rains flooded houses in some villages, and 137 people had been evacuated as of Sunday morning, CCTV reported.
In the east, landslides and flooding hit parts of Fujian province, with an excavator clearing mud after a truck was trapped by a landslide in Songxi county on Sunday. Video posted online by the Quanzhou municipal government showed a vehicle submerged in mud and water in one area of the city.
The Chinese government has repeatedly called for enhanced disaster preparedness to cope with more severe weather events due to climate change. Earlier this year, heavy rain and hail killed seven people in eastern Jiangxi province.
Most of northern China, including the capital Beijing, has experienced high temperatures over the past week. The National Meteorological Center issued a high temperature warning, predicting maximum temperatures of around 38 degrees Celsius on Monday in parts of Beijing and surrounding areas, as well as Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia in the west.
Warm weather was also reported in Taiwan, an autonomous island off China’s east coast. The temperature in one township in Taitung County reached 36.6 degrees Celsius on Sunday, the Central News Agency reported, citing the government’s meteorological department.
Lack of rainfall in northern China has raised concerns about agricultural production this year.
Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong called for better drought prevention efforts during a visit to Hebei province, which borders Beijing, on Saturday.
He said water resources should be allocated scientifically and agricultural water conservation should be strengthened, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. He also advocated helping farmers grow drought-resistant crops to lay a solid foundation for a bumper autumn harvest.
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