Northern China continues to struggle under drought by Frances Runnalls
While much of southern China has been experiencing one of their harshest winters on record, many of the country’s northern provinces are still struggling under extreme drought. Reservoir levels across Beijing and Tianjin have fallen sharply, leaving more than 2.4 million people without sufficient drinking water, with some regions receiving between 20 and 70% less rainfall this year than last. There is an uneven distribution of water reserves across China, with the north suffering from a lack of water compared with the south.
Last week the China Meteorological Administration forecast that eastern regions would receive less rainfall this spring than last. While showers are forecast to hit southern parts of China over the coming days, the drought in the north looks set to continue.
Meteorologists have linked the recent weather conditions across China to the La Nina phenomenon, which is a large pool of unusually cold water in the Pacific. They believe it was this process that led to the rare prolonged snowstorms and low temperatures which caused havoc earlier in the month.
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