Factories in China’s southwest have shut down, and a city imposed rolling blackouts after reservoirs to generate hydropower ran low in a worsening drought, adding to economic strains at a time when President Xi Jinping is trying to extend his hold on power.
Companies in Sichuan province, including makers of solar panels, cement, and urea, closed or reduced production after they were ordered to ration power for up to five days, according to news reports Wednesday.
That came after reservoir levels fell and power demand for air conditioning surged in scorching temperatures.
In Sichuan, which has 94 million people, water levels at hydropower reservoirs are down by as much as half this month, according to the Sichuan Provincial Department of Economics and Information Technology.
Hundreds of thousands of hectares (acres) of crops across central and northern China wilted due to lack of water and high temperatures, according to the government.
Some areas reported the summer growing season as a failure. “Some small- and medium-size rivers are so dry that they have stopped flowing,” the report said.
Meanwhile, authorities warned some parts of the country face possible flooding from heavy rains forecast in areas from the northwest across Inner Mongolia to the northeast.
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