China: Jiangxi province, Poyang lake
Much of central China is enduring its worst energy crisis in years, with factories and residents facing power cuts as supply runs short of demand, a problem worsening as drought dries rivers, reducing hydroelectric capacity. Water levels have sunk as low as 10ft in the main thoroughfare of the 3,900-mile Yangtze river that stretches from the glaciers of the Tibetan plateau to the coastal city of Shanghai. The rivers management office has now closed a 140-mile stretch of the river above Wuhan to ocean-going vessels because of the shallow water. It also said the river is 160 feet narrower in key sections than it was last year.
