Lingering heat triggering drought alerts

The southwest Sichuan basin and southern parts of China may see temperatures as high as 40 C or more over the next 10 days, according to the National Meteorological Center.

The notice comes on the back of a recent spate of extremely hot weather across the country, the latest being on Sunday when a yellow alert was issued for central, southern and northwestern parts of China.

Provinces and regions such as Northwest China's Shaanxi and Xinjiang, East China's Zhejiang and Fujian, and Chongqing and Sichuan in the southwest saw the mercury rise to as much as 40 C on Sunday.

Shanghai issued its first red alert of the summer as temperatures in the city's downtown Xuhui district hit 40 C on Sunday afternoon. The heat wave that has lingered since July 5 is expected to persist in the coming days, according to the Shanghai Meteorological Service.

This is the first time Shanghai has experienced a heat wave with temperatures hitting 40 C in five years, and also the earliest date temperatures have ever hit 40 C in the city.

The continuous high temperatures are likely to impact power supply and water usage, and could harm health and agriculture, according to the center.

The high temperatures and a shortage of rainfall have already caused droughts in some northern parts of the country such as the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Shaanxi and Gansu province, according to a recent release by the Ministry of Emergency Management.

The ministry said the droughts may continue and worsen due to the high temperatures and lack of moisture in the soil.

On Saturday, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters took emergency measures in Shaanxi, Gansu and Inner Mongolia.

The headquarters required these regions to enhance their monitoring of the droughts and provide precise analysis and timely reporting.

Fire brigades have been organized to transport water for people to drink and for agricultural use to reduce possible losses.