Autumn harvest under huge threat

Parched waterway: A farmer walking through the basin of a community reservoir near his farm that is at its lowest in Longquan village in Chongqing. — AP

Beijing: China’s autumn harvest is under “severe threat” from high temperatures and drought, authorities have warned, urging action to protect crops in the face of the country’s hottest summer on record.

The world’s second-largest economy has been hit by record temperatures, flash floods and droughts this summer – phenomena that scientists have warned are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change.