China News Agency, Beijing, September 14 (Reporter Chen Su) The reporter learned from the Ministry of Water Resources of China on the 14th that the drought in the Yangtze River Basin is still developing, and the number of days without effective rainfall in some areas has exceeded 50 days. Looking forward to mid-to-late September and October , the precipitation in the basin is still low, and the situation of continuous drought in summer and autumn is severe.

Data map: In the waters of Poyang Lake, Duchang County, Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province, a large area of ​​the lake bed is exposed, and several tourists walk towards the dry Poyang Lake lake bed.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Liu Zhankun

　　According to statistics from the Information Center of the Ministry of Water Resources, since July, the cumulative rainfall in the Yangtze River Basin has been nearly 50% lower than the same period of the previous year, which is the lowest in the historical period since complete data were available in 1961.

Among them, the rainfall in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake areas was 40 to 80% lower than the same period of the previous year, and the number of days without effective rainfall exceeded 50 days in parts of Hunan and Jiangxi.

The inflow of water from the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River is 40% less, which is the lowest in the same period since 1949. The water levels of Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake are the lowest in the same period in history. On September 6, Poyang Lake fell below the extremely dry water level of 8 meters, which is the earliest year in history. (November 30, 2019) 85 days in advance.

　　The extreme drought has seriously affected the drinking water, agricultural production and ecology of residents in Jiangxi, Hunan and other places.

According to the statistics of the Jiangxi Provincial Department of Water Resources, 20% of the reservoirs in Jiangxi Province are below the dead water level, 25 rivers over 10 square kilometers have been cut off, and the affected area of ​​crops is 8.836 million mu.

　　Yao Wenguang, director of the flood and drought disaster prevention department of the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources, said at a press conference held by the Ministry of Water Resources on the 13th that the drought situation in the Yangtze River Basin is developing rapidly. During the peak period, 66.32 million mu of arable land was affected by drought, and 809,000 people had temporary difficulty in drinking water due to the drought.

　　In response to the severe drought in the Yangtze River Basin, the Chinese government used the central reserve fund of 10 billion yuan (RMB, the same below) to support drought relief and disaster relief, of which 6.5 billion was used for water conservancy and disaster relief.

　　Liu Weiping, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Water Resources of China, said that the Ministry of Water Resources pays close attention to the water conditions, rain and drought conditions in the Yangtze River Basin. , Poyang Lake water system reservoir group, accumulatively replenished 3.57 billion cubic meters of water for the downstream, benefited 13.85 million people from rural water supply, and guaranteed 28.56 million mu of irrigated farmland in 356 large and medium-sized irrigation areas.

Relevant provinces and cities in the Yangtze River Basin have scientifically dispatched water conservancy projects and adopted comprehensive measures according to local conditions, effectively reducing the impact and loss of drought.

　　According to forecasts, the rainfall in the Yangtze River Basin will continue to be low in mid-to-late September, the inflow of water from rivers will continue to be low, and the water levels of rivers and lakes will continue to decline. There may be consecutive droughts in summer and autumn. Currently, it is a critical period for autumn grain production, and the drought resistance situation in the Yangtze River Basin is severe.

　　Liu Weiping said that the Ministry of Water Resources has decided to launch the special action of "Joint Dispatching of Reservoirs in the Yangtze River Basin for Drought Relief and Water Supply" from 8:00 on September 12, with plans to replenish more than 1.78 billion cubic meters of water to ensure the safety of drinking water for the people, with a focus on the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. and the water demand for irrigation of autumn crops in the two lake areas.

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