Flood hits China’s largest desert

(ECNS) — Not too long ago, China’s largest desert, the Taklimakan Desert in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Area, skilled flooding, which sparked widespread discussions on social media.

A video surfaced on-line exhibits automobiles working on a waterlogged street by way of the Taklimakan Desert and a big accumulation of water on each facet of the freeway.

Positioned within the heart of the Tarim Basin in southern Xinjiang, the desert is surrounded by the Tianshan, Kunlun and Altun Mountains. It has an annual common precipitation of not more than 100 millimeters however an evaporation quantity as much as 3,000 millimeter..

However specialists say it’s not unusual to see flooding within the desert.

Within the early and center of August, a wide range of excessive temperatures above 35 diploma Celsius and native temperatures above 40 diploma Celsius occurred in southern Xinjiang. The continual warming brought about the melting of mountain glaciers and snow.

As well as, frequent precipitation continued in western a part of southern Xinjiang and heavy rainfall in mountain areas, leading to combined flood, stated Lv Xinsheng, an knowledgeable from Xinjiang Meteorological Bureau.

From August 20 to 24,a number of tributaries of the Tarim River exceeded their flood warning degree, inflicting the water to flood into the dunes, Lv added.

Native residents commented on the social media that the rise of water within the area successfully promoted the restoration of desert vegetation. Nevertheless knowledgeable stated the arid sample of the Taklimakan Desert has not modified for the reason that water seepage within the desert is comparatively quick, however its water retention capability is poor.