Reservoirs are at half their normal water levels and the provincial government says more than 800,000 people are facing a shortage of drinking water. Factories making solar panels, processor chips and other products in the southwestern province are expected to see their six-day shutdown extended to Thursday. The outages are ostensibly to save energy for homes and air conditioning as temperatures soar to 45 degrees Celsius. However, offices and shopping malls in Sichuan were also ordered to turn off their air conditioning and lights to save energy. The subway in Sichuan’s capital, Chengdu, turned off thousands of station lights, leaving some commuters in partial darkness.
