Reuters
China's water ministry warned that severe drought conditions in the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze river could last well into September as local governments race to find new supply sources and irrigate crops ahead of the autumn harvest. A severe heatwave across the basin of China's longest river, caused by a larger than usual Western Pacific subtropical high, has now lasted more than two months, slashing hydropower supplies and drying out large expanses of arable land. Normal water flows could still be months away, with rainfall expected to remain low until the end of this month and beyond, said Liu Zhiyu, an official at the Ministry of Water Resources, speaking at briefing late on Wednesday.