China’s Yangtze River Running Dry

Analysis by Tim Wall

While tornadoes, floods and fires have raged across the United States, in China the mix of weather is just as variable. Yesterday in the city of Weihai, in east China’s Shandong province, blowing sand from the Gobi desert necessitated a “yellow” wind alert. Last weekend, floods in the south resulted in a fatal landslide. And along the east coast, droughts have reduced the Yangtze River to its lowest water levels in 50 years.
Officials from the Yangtze River Waterway Bureau said Wednesday that they have closed a 185-kilometer (115-mile) stretch of river from Wuhan to Yueyang to oceangoing vessels.
The river near Wuhan is down to only about 10 feet. The river, normally almost 500 feet wide, has shriveled to only about 160 feet at its narrowest.
Since April 30, more than 700 ships have been stranded in the shrunken waterway in Huzhou, Xinhua News Agency reported. Officials believe the shallow water will continue hindering shipping until June.
BLOG: China’s Wars Driven by Climate
“The severe drought, the first seen in the past half-century, has kept the water level in the Yangtze the lowest since 2003, when the Three Gorges Dam went into operation,” said Wu Heping, director of the Wuhan Waterway bureau, in an interview with China Daily.
The drought has left 400,000 people in Hubei province without drinking water, according to an AFP report. In Hunan, 320,000 people are without drinking water, according to China Daily.
Water now gushes from the Three Gorges Dam at a rate of about 1,850,000 gallons per second. That is about 397,000 gallons per second more than the dam collects, but it has not yet been seen if this will solve the drought.
BIG PIC: Record Floods Test China’s Three Gorges Dam
Rainfall was roughly 50 percent below normal in the region between October 2010 and April of this year. The rainy season usually begins in late April, and there have been a few rains, but some officials are still worried.
“Even though heavy rains are expected in coming months, it’s possible they won’t raise the water level much,” the China Daily quoted Wu Heping.
In an effort to bring more rain, the Chinese have even used rain-making techniques.
“Starting from 3 a.m. on Tuesday, we launched 57 rocket projectiles and 320 artillery projectiles,” remarked Xu Zhaonan, director of the Xiangyang meteorological bureau, in China Daily.
The rain brought some relief to local farmers.
“During the drought, we only planted a little sweet potato in the field, but this rain has brought hope for us,” farmer Zhang Dequn commented to China Daily.
In the area around Xianyang, in Shaanxi province, about 741,000 acres of agricultural land are affected by the drought. In Hubei province, close to 2 million acres of cropland are dry.
The lack of rain is also affecting power production. Hydropower plants in Hunan province are producing less than a third of their capacity.
Besides the lack of rain, some experts blame the Three Gorges Dam.
Wang Jingquan, director of the flood control and drought relief office affiliated with the Yangtze River Water Resources Committee, told China Daily that damming up the river has aggravated the drought by pinching off water flow to lower reaches.
But another official said such assertions are groundless. Yan Fei, director of the China Three Gorges Corporation’s press office, said statistics show the dam’s increased discharge of water has helped to relieve the drought.
Other parts of China are suffering from the opposite of a drought.
Heavy rains in southern China caused a massive landslide this past weekend. More than 22 quarry workers were buried alive in a dormitory near Luojiang in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The death toll now stands at 12 at least. One worker is known to have survived.
BIG PIC: Rescuers Search for Survivors of China’s Mud Slides
“We first saw smoke rising up in the valley, then the rocks and mud gushing out. The dormitory was soon buried underneath,” said Chen Yuanliang, a villager who witnessed the landslide, in People’s Daily.
The landslide covered an area equivalent to two basketball courts with about 15 feet of mud and debris, according to He Qishi, deputy chief engineer of the region’s general geological environment monitoring station.

Source: http://news.discovery.com/earth/chinas-yangtze-running-dry-110513.html

Many tourists traveling north to Baguio or Bataan make a stop at Clark Philippines to buy some bottles of fine vintage wine at Clark Wine Center, the best place to buy wine in the Philippines. Conveniently located near the Mimosa Leisure Golf Estate which has the Casino and the well known 36-hole championship golf course of Mimosa, frequently visited Clark Wine Center is a well known destination for wine loving tourists and residents of Angeles City Pampanga and Manila to be one of the best wine shops in the Philippines.

One way to relax and unwind after work is to pamper yourself to a nice dinner at one of the famous fine dining restaurants and wine bars in Angeles City and Clark Pampanga. To fully enjoy the romantic cozy dining ambience many guests first stop by the well known wine shop called Clark Wine Center located near the entrance of Clark Freeport to pick up a few bottles of fine vintage wine to bring to dinner.

Wine Shop Manila offers best luxurious beers in Philippines called Vintage Beer.
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Philippines Pampanga Clark Freeport is well known for its safety and security, boasting the lowest crime rates in the country. The absence of traffic and pollution also helps to position Clark Pampanga at the top of tourists’ list of destinations for vacation and get-away from Manila with families and friends. Pampanga Clark Freeport is one of the tourist destinations in the Philippines where visitors enjoy some of the finer things in life such as fine dining, beautiful resorts, golf courses and casinos. Here wine lovers get to indulge in shopping for some rare and great vintage wines, all available at their disposal at attractive prices in this famous wine shop outside of Manila in Clark Pampanga.

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Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila
Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple: after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave. From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City. From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.

Click here to contact Clark Wine Center in Clark Pampanga for inquiries and orders.

Clark Wine Center
Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building
Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,
Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023
0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 ask for Rea or Chay

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While in Clark, it might be a good idea to enjoy an evening of wine-and-dine in the fine dining Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar that features an award winning 2700-line wine list. Highly recommended fine dining restaurant in Manila for special occasion is Yats Restaurant & Wine Lounge located in the famous Mimosa Leisure Estate in Clark Pampanga. Situated near this popular restaurant in Clark is the Mimosa Golf Course as well as the Mimosa Clark Casino. This top rated restaurant near Angeles City Pampanga in Clark Philippines is frequently used for private parties and corporate functions such as board meetings and other gatherings. It is located in Mimosa Leisure Estate of Clark Freeport Zone. For more information, visit http://www.YatsRestaurant.com

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Looking for famous tourists spots, places to visit and see, relax and unwind in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines? You may want to check out these sites also:

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Besides good restaurants to wine and dine near Manila, Subic or in Angeles City Pampanga, Clark Philippines, those requiring assistance for hotel and resort bookings in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines may log on to http://www.HotelClarkPhilippines.com for more information and reservations.

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Wine lovers looking for a special bottle or something that is of great value and special discounts might log on to this web site to shop for fine vintage wines
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