China tries drastic experiment amidst protracted drought; Yangtze River running dry

By Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

#China, August 20, 2022 – While northwest parts of the country are flooding, Chinese authorities are now trying to induce rain to break the historic heatwave and drought in the southwest and some central areas.

As 16 people died in severe flooding in the north on Thursday, the longest river in Asia, China’s Yangtze River is running so low that the Government is firing silver iodide rods into the sky to induce rain.

Cloud seeding, as the process is labelled has existed for years and involves using dry ice or small silver iodide rods which are shot or dropped into clouds. The iodide combines with cool water droplets to form ice which falls and melts into rain.

The success rate of cloud seeding is low and the process is expensive but China is desperate based on the severity of the country’s drought.

Reuters reports that as many as 66 rivers across China have dried up completely and before and after shots of the Yangtze show residents walking across dry earth that once housed water meters deep. The drought is expected to last at least another month and is affecting electricity supply as well.

As the northwest is flooding and the south is in drought, a Magnetic Media source in Eastern China told us while it rained recently it made little difference.

“I wouldn’t say there is a drought but it’s not rainy at the moment, [Eastern] China doesn’t have a water problem if that’s really what the question boils down to. They water the roads here. It’s very hot.”

The heat wave is the longest in 60 years, reminiscent of the UK, US and other European countries shattering the 104°F barrier (40°C) and multiple heat records in the grip of the extreme heat.

As a manufacturing stronghold filled with factories China has one of the largest carbon footprints in the world.