Extreme Weather in China

 Freaky weather is plaguing China with drought in the south and heavy snow in the north. The government has declared an emergency and appealed for foreign aid to alleviate the impact of the zud — the Mongolian term for a multiple natural disaster caused by the parching of pastures in the summer followed by bitter cold and thick snow that blankets the land in winter. 

At least 11 people, including nine children, have starved or frozen to death, and tens of thousands more are threatened by malnourishment and destitution because of the loss of livestock.

As of this week, 1.5m goats, 921,000 sheep, 169,000 cows and yaks, 89,000 horses and 1,500 camels had died. The authorities say another 3m animals are likely to starve before the thaw in June, which would reduce the national livestock head-count by more than 10%.

"You can imagine how serious the situation is," Batbold Dorjgurhem, director of international cooperation at the ministry of nature, environment and tourism told the Guardian. "Nineteen out of Mongolia's 21 provinces have been hit by heavy winter snow. Apart from the loss of livestock, we expect ecological damage. The government needs a budget to clear the carcasses."

The UN has pledged $4 million to pay farmers to bury dead livestock. 

Meanwhile, a severe drought threatens sugarcane crops and hydroelectric reservoirs in the south. Millions are faced with drinking water shortages.