China issues alert as drought and heatwave put crops at risk

Local authorities told to take measures and 'use every unit of water carefully' in effort to save autumn harvestA drought in China is threatening food production, prompting the government to order local authorities to take all available measures to ensure crops survive the hottest summer on record.On Tuesday, four government departments issued an urgent joint emergency notice, warning that the autumn harvest was under "severe threat?. It urged local authorities to ensure "every unit of water ? be used carefully?, and called for methods included staggered irrigation, the diversion of new water sources, and cloud seeding. Continue reading...