Footage from Chinese state television shows drones carrying out cloud seeding operations and ground troops firing missiles.
Published at 11:15 am yesterday.
The aim is to artificially create rain that could be exacerbated by a heat wave and devastating drought across half of China.
The entire region of the country is concerned, especially a vast area covering the southern part of the Tibet Autonomous Region, which is highly mountainous and stretches eastward to the coastal areas of China’s economic heartland.
This vast region, with a total population of over 370 million people, mainly follows the course of the Yangtze River, a precious source of drinking water.
Some parts of Tibet are classified as “severe” or “exceptional” by the National Weather Service in drought zones.
In Sichuan (southwest), one part reached 44 degrees on Wednesday, although heavy rains freshened the atmosphere in this mountainous region inland.
State television CCTV reported on Thursday that nearly 30,000 people had to be evacuated for safety.
The heat wave poses a challenge to agriculture in a country that is already short of arable land in normal times.
Drought is particularly problematic for rice and soybean crops, which require the most water.
