Amid day-after-day heat, the south is groaning under drought. Reservoirs drained to a cracked bed reveal the severity of the situation.

As prolonged heat and scant rainfall overlap, securing agricultural water has become urgent. With paddies and fields drying and reservoir levels falling, farmers' worries deepen.

Heat is also a direct threat to health. Heat-illness cases are rising, with harm feared especially among the elderly, outdoor workers and vulnerable groups. Health authorities urged avoiding midday outdoor activity.

Drought can feed into higher farm prices. Poor harvests pressure the cost of vegetables, fruit and other table goods, affecting every household.

Local governments are hurrying measures such as water-supply support, reservoir management and cooling aid for vulnerable groups. But with a rainfall recovery ultimately decisive, they are watching the weather closely.

In the Sinophone community, too, heat and drought are not someone else's problem. Managing the health of self-employed people who work outdoors and of elderly community members is especially important.

Experts note that climate change could make such extremes more frequent, and call for shoring up mid- to long-term water management and heat-response systems.