分頁 1
What Problems Does Drought Bring to
China?
4.1 What is Drought?
Example: Water Problem in China (Summer 2020)
● Context: In the summer of 2020, China faced a significant water shortage issue,
particularly in the provinces of Liaoning and Yunnan.
● Details:
1. Since June, rainfall in Liaoning was less than half the average, adversely
affecting over 10 million hectares of farmland.
2. Since spring, rainfall in Yunnan was much lower than usual, with about 100 rivers
and 180 reservoirs drying up. This led to more than one million people facing a
water shortage.
Definition of Drought
● Drought occurs when rainfall in an area is much lower than normal for a long period of
time, causing water supply to not meet the usual demand.
● It is a natural hazard, not just a brief dry spell but a prolonged condition that disrupts
normal activities.
4.2 What are the Impacts of Drought in China?
A. Impacts on People
● Droughts have various negative impacts on people, intensifying water scarcity
Impacts of Drought on Human Activities
Human Activity Impact Consequence
Farming - Lack of irrigation water for - Crop failure may occur
crops - Livestock such as sheep
- Lack of water for pastures and cattle may die due to
lack of food and drinking
water
- Farm production drops
- Food shortages may occur
Industry - Lack of water for processing - Industrial production will
and cooling purposes decline or even be
suspended
Power Generation - Water level in reservoirs - The amount of hydroelectric
drops power (HEP) generation will
drop
Transport - Water level of rivers drop - Water transport will be
disrupted
Daily Domestic Use - Not enough water for - May need to carry out water
drinking and other daily uses rationing (e.g., the supply of
water is restricted to certain
hours in a day)
- Will cause inconvenience
and may even affect people’s
health
B. Impacts on the Environment
● Without Water:
○ Lakes and rivers may dry up
○ Cut-off of rivers occurs.
○ Vegetation cannot grow; topsoil may be blown away, leading to soil erosion.
○ This will intensify desertification, making the land unproductive and leading to
sandstorms, which will also become more common.
○ Plants and animals cannot live; the ecosystem is adversely affected.
4.3 Where Does Drought Usually Occur in China?
● Droughts seldom occur in the western part of China. Instead, they are mainly found in
the northern and southern parts of China.
● Distribution:
1. Based on spatiotemporal distribution characteristics and meteorological drought
composite index (1981-2010).
2. Areas with over 50 days of annual drought are concentrated in north-western
regions like Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and parts of Gansu.
4.4 What are the Causes of Drought in China?
A. Physical Factors
● High Variation in Rainfall:
○ Drought is related to rainfall variability. A large part of China is affected by the
monsoon climate.
○ The timing and strength of the monsoons vary between years:
■ Wet summer monsoons come late, or dry winter monsoons come earlier
than normal.
■ Summer monsoons may come at the right time but be weak and carry
less moisture.
○ The rainfall received in a place may fall below the average amount.
○ Sometimes, summer monsoons may come at the right time, but they may be
weak and carry less moisture. The rainfall received may also be less than
normal.
● Aridity:
○ Low rainfall does not necessarily lead to drought. Variation in rainfall is the key.
○ For example, we have learned that western China is an arid region with low
annual rainfall. The long-term phenomenon of low rainfall there is called aridity.
The dry condition there is normal, with low variability in rainfall. In contrast, areas
in wet regions may suffer from drought if they have unreliable rainfall.
● High Temperature:
○ In general, higher temperatures will lead to higher evaporation rates. More
moisture will evaporate from land, rivers, and lakes, reducing the water available
for use.
○ As seen in the case below, high temperatures, together with a lack of rainfall, had
triggered serious drought.
● Example: Serious Drought in Henan (2020):
○ A large part of Henan has been suffering from serious drought since June 2020.
○ In July, the average temperature recorded in Henan was 28°C, which was 1°C
higher than the average. In some places of Henan, there were 8 days with
temperatures above 35°C.
○ Meanwhile, the average monthly rainfall received in Henan since 1 July was 29.3
mm only, which was 78% less than the average.
B. Human Factors
● Deforestation:
○ The population of China has kept growing over the past decades. People need
timber resources and land for settlement, farming, and economic development.
○ As a result, trees are cut down on a large scale. This is called deforestation.
● Human-Induced Climate Change:
○ In recent decades, human activities that emit greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the
atmosphere have led to climate change.
○ It is found that rainfall in south-western China has been decreasing, while the
rainfall in north-western and eastern China has been fluctuating since the 2000s.
This easily triggers drought.
● High Water Consumption:
○ As we have learned in previous units, the population and economic development
have been growing quickly in China. This has created a huge demand for water.
● Water Wastage and Water Pollution Reduce Water Supply:
○ In normal years, water wastage and water pollution have caused a decrease in
the freshwater supply. This intensifies drought too when rainfall received falls
below normal for a persistent period of time.
○ In some regions, the water resources available cannot meet the demand even in
normal years. Overdraining of groundwater occurs. Once the amount of rainfall
received in these regions is below normal for a long period, the water available
for use is even less. Drought is intensified.
More about Drought and Aridity
● Low rainfall does not necessarily lead to drought. Variation in rainfall is the key.
● For example, western China is an arid region with low annual rainfall (long-term
phenomenon called aridity, dry condition is normal with low variability).
● In contrast, areas in wet regions may suffer from drought if they have unreliable rainfall.
What Problems Does Flooding Bring to
China?
6.1 What is Flooding?
Definition of Flooding
● When rainfall is heavy, rivers will become full. River water in the channel will then flow
over its bank and spread out onto the surrounding land. Flooding occurs.
● Flooding along a river channel.
○ Normal situation: Normal water level of a river channel.
○ During heavy rain: Water level of the river channel is higher than the river banks.
Flooding occurs. Water overflows.
6.2 What are the Impacts of Flooding in China?
● Flooding causes great damage in China. For example, in the summer of 2020, serious
flooding occurred in many parts of the country, particularly the Chang Jiang basin and
the Huai He basin. More than 200 people were killed. Over 6 million hectares of
farmland were flooded, leading to crop failure. The economic loss caused by flooding
this year was over 170 billion RMB.
● Shows the general negative effects caused by flooding.
○ Injury and loss of life
○ Crop failure
○ Damaging buildings and infrastructure such as roads and bridges
○ Disrupting transport services
○ Disrupting utility services such as gas and electricity supplies
○ Polluting drinking water
○ Spreading diseases
● Impact of Flooding: Flooding causes great damage. However, it is not always a bad
thing. It can also be helpful to the farmers. This is because floodwater may bring
sediment, known as alluvium, to the land nearby. This improves soil fertility.
● Furthermore, soil in some areas is salty. It is very difficult to grow crops on such land.
Floodwater dissolves and removes the salts from the soil. This also helps improve the
fertility of the soil.
● Annual flooding in the Nile River in Egypt has turned the land alongside it into good
farmland.
More about the Impacts of Flooding
● Flooding can cause great damage. However, it is not always a bad thing. It can also be
helpful to the farmers. This is because floodwater may bring sediment, known as
alluvium, to the land nearby. This improves soil fertility.
● Furthermore, soil in some areas is salty. It is very difficult to grow crops on such land.
Floodwater dissolves and removes the salts from the soil. This also helps improve the
fertility of the soil.
6.3 Which Areas of China are Prone to Flooding?
● In China, the eastern and southern parts, including the coastal areas are more prone to
the threat of flooding. These areas are where the major river basins are found.
● Distribution of flooding in China.
1. Risk of flooding: Extremely high (dark blue), High, Medium, Low, No data.
2. Source: China Flood Risk Map.
3. Major river basins highlighted: Huang He, Chang Jiang, Zhu Jiang, etc.
6.4 What are the Causes of Flooding in China?
● Flooding occurs when there is more water in a river channel than it can hold. How well a
river can hold the water is affected by the following factors:
○ The amount of river flow: If there is a sudden and large increase in river flow, the
river channel may not be able to hold the flow.
○ The holding capacity of the river: If the river bed becomes shallow, the amount of
flow that it can hold will decrease.
● In China, because of its physical environment, certain areas are more prone to flooding.
Human activities may also increase the risk of flooding.
A. Physical Factors
a. Heavy Rainfall and Typhoons
● Summer monsoons bring rain to the coastal areas in southern and eastern China. These
areas are also affected by typhoons in summer. When summer monsoons or typhoons
bring heavy rain for a prolonged period of time, the amount of river flow will increase
sharply. This will lead to severe flooding.
● In addition, the global climate has been changing in recent decades, causing more
extreme weather events such as more destructive super typhoons and rainstorms. This
has increased the risk of flooding.
b. Low Relief
● Relief of China:
○ The height of land in China decreases from the highlands in the west towards the
coast in the east. In the east where plains are formed, the land is low-lying and
flat. In other words, rivers flowing in the east flow on gentle slopes.
● When the slope of a river channel becomes gentle, the water flow slows down. Sand and
soil in the river will be deposited on the river bed. This is called silting. The river bed
becomes shallower. The holding capacity of the river channel is reduced.
● How silting affects the holding capacity of a river channel.
○ Normal river channel: Maximum holding capacity 1.8 m.
○ Silting of river: Silting has reduced the holding capacity to 1.5 m.
○ During rainstorms, flooding occurs easily. This is because the silted channel can
no longer hold as much water as before.
B. Human Factors
a. Deforestation
● When people cut trees on a large scale, the chance of flooding increases. In China,
deforestation often occurs on highlands. Without the protection of trees, soil is easily
washed to the lowland areas in the east, causing silting of rivers there. Much overland
flow is brought to the east too, causing an increase in river flow.
● How deforestation causes flooding.
○ Dense tree cover:
■ Tree roots can hold the soil. This reduces soil erosion.
■ Tree roots help infiltration of water.
○ Deforestation:
■ Without trees, loose soil is washed away by rain.
■ Without trees, infiltration decreases. More water flows over the land as
overland flow. River flow increases rapidly.
b. Poor Farming Practices
● In order to produce more food and have more income, farmers graze a large amount of
livestock and grow crops intensively on slopes.
● The livestock eats up the grass. The overgrass does not have enough time to recover.
This is called overgrazing.
● Crops grown intensively on slopes will cause the soil to become poor. This is called
over-cultivation.
● Both activities may cause soil erosion. When the soil is washed into the river channel,
silting becomes more serious. This causes more flooding.
c. Reclaiming Lakes for Different Uses
● Lakes can store water. This helps regulate the flow of rivers. However, many lakes in
China have been used for fish ponds, or reclaimed for farming and settlement over the
past few decades.
● These activities have reduced the size of lakes. Therefore, they cannot store as much
water as before. During rainstorms, the excess rainwater flows into rivers quickly. River
flow increases rapidly.
d. Urban Development
● In urban areas, the surface of much of the land is covered with concrete. When rain falls,
it cannot infiltrate into the ground, and so it becomes overland flow. Flooding may easily
occur as a result.
● Sewers and drains in urban areas help divert rainwater quickly. However, the water often
reaches the river channels within a shorter period of time. This rapidly increases the
amount of river flow.
分頁 2
Question 1: Which of the following are possible negative impacts of the water problem on the
local people?
● Decrease in food supply
● Decrease in health problems
● Decrease in industrial production
Question 2: Which of the following are possible negative impacts of the water problem on the
environment?
● It may lead to a cut-off of rivers.
● Sandstorms will become common.
● Many plants and animals will die.
Question 3: The following sentences show how a lack of water can intensify desertification.
Arrange the sentences in the correct order.
● Topsoil is blown away easily.
● Without water, vegetation cannot grow.
● Soil erosion occurs.
● This intensifies desertification.
Question 4: Which of the following administrative areas suffers the longest period of drought in
a year?
● A: Shanghai, B: Xizang, C: Hebei, D: Hainan
Question 5: Refer to the following statements. Write ‘T’ for a true statement and ‘F’ for a false
one.
● When there is a day without rainfall, drought occurs.
● Droughts seldom occur in wet regions in China.
● Destertification is increasing because of droughts.
● Droughts may impose negative impacts on human health.
Question 6: Refer to the following statements about drought. Write ‘T’ for a true statement and
‘F’ for a false one.
● Droughts can intensify water scarcity.
● It occurs when the population of a place is too large for local water resources to support.
● Whenever a place is arid, drought occurs there.
● Depending on the weather conditions, it can last for a few months or as long as a
decade or more.
Question 7: Which of the following is/are the reason(s) for lower rainfall received in eastern
China?
● Late arrival of winter monsoons
● Early arrival of summer monsoons
● Weak monsoons carrying less moisture
分頁 4
What Problems Does Drought Bring to China?
4.1 What is Drought?
Example: Water Problem in China (Summer 2020)
● Context: In summer 2020, China faced major water shortage, especially in Liaoning and
Yunnan.
● Details:
1. Since June, Liaoning rainfall was less than half average, affecting over 10 million
hectares of farmland.
2. Since spring, Yunnan rainfall was much lower than usual, with 100 rivers and 180
reservoirs drying up. Over 1 million people faced water shortage.
Definition of Drought
● Drought occurs when rainfall is much lower than normal for a long time, causing water
supply to fall short of demand.
● It is a natural hazard, not a brief dry spell but a prolonged condition that disrupts
activities.
4.2 What are the Impacts of Drought in China?
A. Impacts on People
● Droughts have negative impacts on people, worsening water scarcity.
Impacts of Drought on Human Activities
Human Activity Impact Consequence
Farming - Lack of irrigation water for - Crop failure may occur
crops - Livestock may die from lack
- Lack of water for pastures of food/water
- Farm production drops
- Food shortages may occur
Industry - Lack of water for processing - Industrial production will
and cooling decline or suspend
Power Generation - Water level in reservoirs - Hydroelectric power (HEP)
drops generation will drop
Transport - Water level of rivers drops - Water transport will be
disrupted
Daily Domestic Use - Not enough water for - May need water rationing
drinking and daily uses (e.g., restricted hours)
- Causes inconvenience and
may affect health
B. Impacts on the Environment
● Without Water:
○ Lakes and rivers may dry up.
○ Cut-off of rivers occurs.
○ Vegetation cannot grow; topsoil may blow away, leading to soil erosion.
○ This intensifies desertification, making land unproductive and causing more
sandstorms.
○ Plants and animals cannot live; ecosystem is affected.
4.3 Where Does Drought Usually Occur in China?
● Droughts seldom occur in western China. They mainly occur in northern and southern
parts.
● Distribution:
1. Based on spatiotemporal distribution and meteorological drought index (1981-
2010).
2. Areas with over 50 days of annual drought are in north-western regions like
Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and parts of Gansu.
4.4 What are the Causes of Drought in China?
A. Physical Factors
● High Variation in Rainfall:
○ Drought relates to rainfall variability. Much of China has monsoon climate.
○ Monsoon timing and strength vary yearly:
■ Wet summer monsoons come late, or dry winter monsoons come early.
■ Summer monsoons may come on time but be weak with less moisture.
○ Rainfall may fall below average.
○ Sometimes, summer monsoons are weak and carry less moisture. Rainfall is less
than normal.
● Aridity:
○ Low rainfall does not always cause drought. Variation in rainfall is key.
○ Example: Western China is arid with low annual rainfall. This is normal aridity
with low variability.
○ Wet regions may face drought from unreliable rainfall.
● High Temperature:
○ Higher temperatures increase evaporation. More moisture evaporates from land,
rivers, lakes, reducing available water.
○ High temperatures with low rainfall trigger serious drought.
● Example: Serious Drought in Henan (2020):
○ Henan suffered serious drought since June 2020.
○ July average temperature was 28°C, 1°C above average. Some areas had 8
days above 35°C.
○ Rainfall since July 1 was 29.3 mm, 78% less than average.
B. Human Factors
● Deforestation:
○ China’s population grew over decades. People need timber and land for
settlement, farming, development.
○ Trees are cut on large scale. This is deforestation.
● Human-Induced Climate Change:
○ Recent decades, human activities emit GHGs, causing climate change.
○ Rainfall in south-western China decreased; north-western and eastern China
rainfall fluctuates since 2000s. This triggers drought.
● High Water Consumption:
○ Population and economy grew quickly in China. This creates huge water
demand.
● Water Wastage and Water Pollution Reduce Water Supply:
○ In normal years, wastage and pollution reduce freshwater supply. This worsens
drought when rainfall is low for long.
○ Some regions cannot meet demand even in normal years. Groundwater is
overdrained.
○ When rainfall is below normal, water is even less. Drought intensifies.
More about Drought and Aridity
● Low rainfall does not always lead to drought. Variation in rainfall is key.
● Example: Western China is arid with low annual rainfall (called aridity, normal dry with
low variability).
● In contrast, wet regions may suffer drought from unreliable rainfall.
What Problems Does Flooding Bring to China?
6.1 What is Flooding?
Definition of Flooding
● When rainfall is heavy, rivers fill up. Water overflows banks onto surrounding land.
Flooding occurs.
● Flooding along a river channel:
○ Normal situation: Normal water level in the channel.
○ During heavy rain: Water level higher than banks. Water overflows.
6.2 What are the Impacts of Flooding in China?
● Flooding causes great damage in China. Example: Summer 2020, serious flooding in
Chang Jiang and Huai He basins. Over 200 killed. 6 million hectares of farmland
flooded, causing crop failure. Economic loss of over 170 billion RMB.
● General negative effects caused by flooding:
○ Injury and loss of life.
○ Crop failure.
○ Damaging buildings and infrastructure like roads, bridges.
○ Disrupting transport services.
○ Disrupting utility services like gas, electricity.
○ Polluting drinking water.
○ Spreading diseases.
● Impact of Flooding: Flooding causes damage but can help farmers. Floodwater brings
sediment (alluvium) to nearby land, improving soil fertility.
● Some soils are salty, hard for crops. Floodwater dissolves and removes salts, improving
fertility.
● Annual flooding in Nile River, Egypt, turned alongside land into good farmland.
More about the Impacts of Flooding
● Flooding can cause great damage. But it is not always bad. It helps farmers by bringing
sediment (alluvium) to nearby land, improving soil fertility.
● Some soils are salty, hard for crops. Floodwater dissolves and removes salts, improving
fertility.
6.3 Which Areas of China are Prone to Flooding?
● In China, eastern and southern parts, including coastal areas, are prone to flooding.
These have major river basins.
● Distribution of flooding in China:
1. Risk of flooding: Extremely high (dark blue), High, Medium, Low, No data.
2. Source: China Flood Risk Map.
3. Major river basins highlighted: Huang He, Chang Jiang, Zhu Jiang, etc.
6.4 What are the Causes of Flooding in China?
● Flooding occurs when river channel has more water than it can hold. Affected by:
○ Amount of river flow: Sudden large increase may overflow channel.
○ Holding capacity of river: Shallow bed reduces capacity.
● In China, physical environment makes some areas prone to flooding. Human activities
increase risk.
A. Physical Factors
a. Heavy Rainfall and Typhoons
● Summer monsoons bring rain to southern and eastern coastal areas. Typhoons affect
them in summer. Prolonged heavy rain increases river flow sharply, causing severe
flooding.
● Global climate change causes more extreme events like super typhoons and rainstorms.
This increases flooding risk.
b. Low Relief
● Relief of China:
○ Land height decreases from western highlands to eastern coast. East has low-
lying, flat plains. Rivers flow on gentle slopes.
● Gentle slope slows water flow. Sand and soil deposit on river bed (silting). Bed becomes
shallower, reducing capacity.
● How silting affects holding capacity:
○ Normal channel: Maximum capacity 1.8 m.
○ Silting: Reduces capacity to 1.5 m.
○ During rainstorms: Silted channel overflows easily.
B. Human Factors
a. Deforestation
● People cut trees on large scale, often on highlands. Without trees, soil washes to
eastern lowlands, causing river silting. More overland flow increases river flow.
● How deforestation causes flooding:
○ Dense tree cover:
■ Roots hold soil, reducing erosion.
■ Roots help water infiltration.
○ Deforestation:
■ Loose soil washed away by rain.
■ Infiltration decreases. More overland flow. River flow increases rapidly.
b. Poor Farming Practices
● To produce more food and income, farmers graze large livestock and grow crops
intensively on slopes.
● Livestock eats grass; overgrass cannot recover. This is overgrazing.
● Intensive crops on slopes make soil poor. This is over-cultivation.
● Both cause soil erosion. Soil washes into river, worsening silting and flooding.
c. Reclaiming Lakes for Different Uses
● Lakes store water, regulating river flow. But many lakes in China became fish ponds or
reclaimed for farming, settlement over decades.
● This reduces lake size. They store less water. During rainstorms, excess water flows to
rivers quickly, increasing flow.
d. Urban Development
● In urban areas, land surface is concrete-covered. Rain cannot infiltrate ground,
becoming overland flow. Flooding occurs easily.
● Sewers and drains divert rainwater quickly to rivers. Water reaches channels faster,
increasing river flow rapidly.