China renews orange alert for drought

BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- China's national observatory on Wednesday renewed an orange alert for drought as heatwaves continued in many regions.

Parts of Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou, Chongqing, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu and Tibet suffered from moderate to severe droughts, according to the National Meteorological Center.

While precipitation in sections of the Yellow River and Huaihe River, and parts of Jiangsu, Anhui and the Sichuan Basin will ease the droughts in the next three days, high temperatures and dry weather will linger in the other regions.

The observatory advised local authorities to take appropriate emergency response measures, ensure the supply of water particularly for household use, promote water conservation, and produce artificial rainfall when necessary.

China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.