2010–2011 China drought
Encyclopedia
The 2010–2011 China drought was a drought
that began in late 2010 and impacted eight provinces in the northern part of the People's Republic of China
(PRC). It was the worst drought to hit the country in 60 years, and it affected most of wheat
-producing regions in the PRC.
, Gansu
, Henan
, Hubei
, Jiangsu
, Shaanxi
, Shandong
and Shanxi
were impacted by the drought. As well as destorying wheat crops, the drought caused water shortages for an estimated 2.31 million people and 2.57 million livestock. Within the eight provinces, 20% of the farmland and 35% of the entire wheat crop was impacted. By February 2011, the drought hit a total of up to 7730000 hectares (19,101,229.1 acre) of winter wheat that had already been planted. Some lakes, including Lake Hong in Hubei province, dried up significantly, with the Hubei lake shrinking to one-eighth of its normal surface area and one-fifth its usual depth, forcing 3,234 local residents to relocate.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
, the potential of damage to China's wheat harvest was likely a factor in an increase of worldwide wheat prices in early 2011.
By the start of June, the drought had affected 35 million people, including 4.2 million facing a drinking water shortage. Direct economic damage had reached 15 billion yuan
(about 2.3 billion USD), while several provinces resorted to using cloud seeding
to induce artificial rain.
On 24 June 3.65 million people and 3.47 million head of livestock were short of drinking water in
the autonomous regions of Inner Mongolia
and Ningxia
and the provinces of Gansu
and Shanxi
despite the flooding in other parts of china.
, said on 7 March that "[e]xcept for some areas up in the hill region of Shandong where there is still insufficient water, I would say the drought is under control.
Despite flooding
in many regions by 20 June 2011 a government minister reported that drought was still affecting 72.19 million mu (4.81 million hectares) in unflooded parts of Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu provinces and some northern provinces.
had spent nearly US$15 billion in cash payments to farmers and subsidies to reduce the price of materials like diesel fuel, pesticides and fertilizer. The government announced in early February 2011 several tactics to combat the effects of the drought. On 11 February, it was announced that an estimated US$1 billion would be spent on obtaining water to be used on wheat fields, including drilling about 1,350 new wells and sending personnel from the China Geological Survey and the Ministry of Land and Resources
to attempt to locate new below-ground water reserves. On 9 and 10 February, cloud seeding
had been used to induce rain, resulting in 3 millimetre (0.118110236220472 in) of snow. Indirectly, the government said it raise the prices of some grains, provide farmers with technological aid and release grain from its reserves to avoid a spike in prices.
Some farmers affected by the drought criticized the government for not doing enough to support the agriculture industry during the drought, or for giving aid too late. Others blamed the restrictions on using water from certain sources, intended to go to industrial or residential developments, for increasing the effects of the drought on their crops.
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
that began in late 2010 and impacted eight provinces in the northern part of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
(PRC). It was the worst drought to hit the country in 60 years, and it affected most of wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
-producing regions in the PRC.
Cause
The drought began as early as September 2010 in some regions, though widespread lack of rain and snow began in October. The lack of precipitation caused lower than normal snow cover, putting wheat crops at risk of being killed by frost as well as reducing the amount of moisture in the ground.Effects
The provinces of AnhuiAnhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
, Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
, Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
, Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
and Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
were impacted by the drought. As well as destorying wheat crops, the drought caused water shortages for an estimated 2.31 million people and 2.57 million livestock. Within the eight provinces, 20% of the farmland and 35% of the entire wheat crop was impacted. By February 2011, the drought hit a total of up to 7730000 hectares (19,101,229.1 acre) of winter wheat that had already been planted. Some lakes, including Lake Hong in Hubei province, dried up significantly, with the Hubei lake shrinking to one-eighth of its normal surface area and one-fifth its usual depth, forcing 3,234 local residents to relocate.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
, the potential of damage to China's wheat harvest was likely a factor in an increase of worldwide wheat prices in early 2011.
By the start of June, the drought had affected 35 million people, including 4.2 million facing a drinking water shortage. Direct economic damage had reached 15 billion yuan
Yuan
Yuan may refer to:* Chinese yuan, the basic unit of currency in China** Renminbi, the current currency used in the People's Republic of China, whose basic unit is Yuan...
(about 2.3 billion USD), while several provinces resorted to using cloud seeding
Cloud seeding
Cloud seeding, a form of intentional weather modification, is the attempt to change the amount or type of precipitation that falls from clouds, by dispersing substances into the air that serve as cloud condensation or ice nuclei, which alter the microphysical processes within the cloud...
to induce artificial rain.
On 24 June 3.65 million people and 3.47 million head of livestock were short of drinking water in
the autonomous regions of Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
and Ningxia
Ningxia
Ningxia, formerly transliterated as Ningsia, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Located in Northwest China, on the Loess Plateau, the Yellow River flows through this vast area of land. The Great Wall of China runs along its northeastern boundary...
and the provinces of Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
and Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
despite the flooding in other parts of china.
End
During late February and early March, three events of snow or rain impacted much of northern China, leaving less than a third of the total acreage of wheat production still affected. The precipitation occurred at about the time wheat planted in late 2010 was beginning to sprout and needed water. Government irrigation and aid efforts also contributed to lessening the impact of the drought. Tian Qi Zhu, a wheat expert at the Shandong Agricultural UniversityShandong Agricultural University
Shandong Agricultural University , established in 1906, is a comprehensive university in Shandong, China. Several academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering are graduates from SDAU.- Overview :...
, said on 7 March that "[e]xcept for some areas up in the hill region of Shandong where there is still insufficient water, I would say the drought is under control.
Despite flooding
2011 China floods
The 2011 China floods are a series of floods from June to September of 2011 that occurred in central and southern parts of the People's Republic of China...
in many regions by 20 June 2011 a government minister reported that drought was still affecting 72.19 million mu (4.81 million hectares) in unflooded parts of Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu provinces and some northern provinces.
Timeline
- 2010 China drought and dust storms2010 China drought and dust stormsThe 2010 China drought and dust storms were a series of severe droughts during the spring of 2010 that affected Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Sichuan, Shanxi, Henan, Shaanxi, Chongqing, Hebei and Gansu in the People's Republic of China as well as parts of Southeast Asia including Vietnam and Thailand,...
for drought in the preceding year - 2010 China floods floods before this drought
- this drought was still ongoing by June 18 2011, in some northern provinces while in others the drought has been replaced with the 2011 China floods2011 China floodsThe 2011 China floods are a series of floods from June to September of 2011 that occurred in central and southern parts of the People's Republic of China...
Response
By early February 2011, the Chinese governmentGovernment of the People's Republic of China
All power within the government of the People's Republic of China is divided among three bodies: the People's Republic of China, State Council, and the People's Liberation Army . This article is concerned with the formal structure of the state, its departments and their responsibilities...
had spent nearly US$15 billion in cash payments to farmers and subsidies to reduce the price of materials like diesel fuel, pesticides and fertilizer. The government announced in early February 2011 several tactics to combat the effects of the drought. On 11 February, it was announced that an estimated US$1 billion would be spent on obtaining water to be used on wheat fields, including drilling about 1,350 new wells and sending personnel from the China Geological Survey and the Ministry of Land and Resources
Ministry of Land and Resources of the People's Republic of China
Ministry of Land and Resources of the People's Republic of China is a ministry under the jurisdiction of the State Council of China...
to attempt to locate new below-ground water reserves. On 9 and 10 February, cloud seeding
Cloud seeding
Cloud seeding, a form of intentional weather modification, is the attempt to change the amount or type of precipitation that falls from clouds, by dispersing substances into the air that serve as cloud condensation or ice nuclei, which alter the microphysical processes within the cloud...
had been used to induce rain, resulting in 3 millimetre (0.118110236220472 in) of snow. Indirectly, the government said it raise the prices of some grains, provide farmers with technological aid and release grain from its reserves to avoid a spike in prices.
Some farmers affected by the drought criticized the government for not doing enough to support the agriculture industry during the drought, or for giving aid too late. Others blamed the restrictions on using water from certain sources, intended to go to industrial or residential developments, for increasing the effects of the drought on their crops.