Status: 11.10.2021 4:19 p.m.
Within five days, it rained three times as much in northern China as it usually did in October: 120,000 people had to leave their homes because of the masses of water. Coal mines were closed.
Heavy rains have led to floods in northern China’s Shanxi Province. According to the authorities, more than 120,000 people were brought to safety as a result.
At least 60 coal mines ceased operations as a precaution. According to the official Xinhua News Agency, Shanxi fell three times as much rain in just five days as it normally did in the entire month of October.
190,000 hectares of arable land destroyed
According to the authorities, a total of 1.74 million people were affected by the floods in Shanxi. An estimated 190,000 hectares of cultivated land were destroyed and 17,000 buildings were destroyed, reported the local Communist Party newspaper.
The weather service predicted further rainfall for the coming days and called on the farmers to hurry with the harvest. In July, more than 300 people were killed in floods in central China’s Henan Province.
The overflowed Yellow River near the city of Hejin in northern China’s Shanxi Province: 17,000 buildings were destroyed in the region.
Image: AP
New bottlenecks in the power supply?
Shanxi is one of the most important coal regions in the People’s Republic. The closure of dozens of coal mines could exacerbate current electricity supply bottlenecks.
China gets 60 percent of its energy from coal. Due to supply bottlenecks for coal, however, private households and companies are increasingly switching off their electricity – including large companies that produce for export. This also includes suppliers for Apple and Tesla.