Kindergarten, elementary and middle schools in Chongqing will delay the new school term until next Tuesday (Sep 5) due to the return of high temperatures.

Despite rainfall last week much of it artificially induced temperatures soared to 40 C yesterday and are expected to linger for the next two days, according to Chongqing Meteorological Station (CMS).

The mercury rose to 38.6 C in downtown Chongqing on Sunday, and on the same day authorities issued a new heat wave warning following a one-week suspension.

Institutions of higher learning will not postpone the start of the new school year. But their classes may be suspended in case of high temperatures, said the municipal government,

Many institutions of higher learning have adopted emergency response mechanisms to cope with the scorching summer.

Since July 26, Chongqing University has provided free watermelon to nearly 4,000 students who remained on campus during the summer vacation, which ends tomorrow.

If the heat wave lingers after the new term starts, the university will continue to provide students with free watermelon, university authorities said.

No rain is expected in Chongqing municipality this week. Due to continued high temperatures, the drought situation is becoming more serious, CMS warned.

The drought has caused nearly 6.4 billion yuan (US$800 million) in losses in Chongqing, and left more than 7.9 million people and 7.4 million livestock without adequate drinking water, according to the latest figures.

The city's reservoirs hold less than 950 million cubic metres of water, only 33 per cent of their capacity, according to the municipal flood and drought relief headquarters.

According to Ma Mingyuan, deputy chief of the Chongqing Municipal Economic Commission, brownouts will be introduced in the city's government offices from seven o'clock in the evening to seven o'clock the next morning every day.

The power cuts will continue until the drought is alleviated, Ma said.

According to Huang Qifan, executive mayor of Chongqing, the city has faced a shortage of 120 million kilowatt-hours of electricity this summer. The shortage has resulted in losses of 3.4 billion yuan (US$425 million) for businesses, he said.

According to the executive mayor, the Chongqing municipal government will allocate special funds to buy between two and three helicopters to combat fires, as most forest fires are in mountainous areas inaccessible to firefighters.

Editor: Wing