Some cities in China have taken a series of measures to combat the ongoing heatwave, power or water shortages and bushfires.

Local authorities in southwest China’s Sichuan province initiated a first level emergency response, the highest of its kind, on Sunday.

The emergency response requires that the demands of households are met first, followed by industrial production needs. Measures to restrict electricity use by some industrial users have been extended until to Thursday.

As a major producer of hydropower in China, the southwest province of Sichuan has experienced high temperatures since July, with average precipitation 51 percent lower than the same period in previous years, according to official data.

The province is making every effort to ensure every household has electricity, encouraging enterprises to avoid using electricity during peak hours. About 25,000 power emergency repair personnel are on standby 24 hours a day.

The State Grid increased daily power supply to Sichuan to 132 million kWh, and 50 emergency power generating vehicles from 13 provincial regions including Beijing, Jiangsu and Zhejiang arrived in Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan.

In addition, China Energy Investment Corporation is diverting water supply to a major river in Sichuan so local power plants can increase their capacity.

The high temperature is also affecting other cities in China. Chongqing Municipality is experiencing its most severe consistent high temperature since 1961.

Across China, about 809,000 people are experiencing difficulties in getting drinking water, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.
The governments of Sichuan, Chongqing and Guizhou are transporting water, extending pipelines, and creating new water sources.

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