Iconic Shanghai sights go dark as drought hits power supply

Image source, Getty Images

The skyline of the Chinese city ofShanghai will not be lit for two nights in order to save power.

The waterfront area is a popular destination for tourists.

Major manufacturers in the Sichuan province said they had been affected by power cuts.

A large part of the world's second largest economy is facing a severe dry spell.

The buildings located along the largest river in the city will not be lit on Monday and Tuesday.

"We apologize for any disruptions this may cause," it stated in the notice.

The country issued its first national alert of the year last week, after areas in the country experienced weeks of extreme heat.

The third most severe level is the yellow alert.

The power shortages were caused by rising temperatures and low rain, along with increased demand for air conditioning, according to the officials.

The power saving measures have been extended by five days. The power supply to some businesses is limited by these limits.

The capital of Sichuan is the location of Volkswagen's factory, according to the company.

Volkswagen expects a slight delay in deliveries that could be recovered in the near future, according to a company spokesman.

The spokesman said that the situation is being monitored and that they are in close contact with their suppliers.

The impact on its production is currently not significant.

Toyota said it was using in-house power generation in order to resume production.

Image source, Getty Images

According to Chenyu Wu, an associate analyst for China and North Asia at Control Risks, the impact of power cuts will be brief.

He said that local efforts to save power and boost generation are likely to help mitigate the power shortage situation.

There is a heat wave in parts of central and southwest China that is the longest on record.

According to local media, a number of provinces have launched rockets into the sky in order to combat the lack of rain.

Efforts to do the same have been held back by a lack of cloud cover.