Environment

China orders coalmines to raise coal production to address power crunch

Chinese officials have ordered more than 70 mines in Inner Mongolia to increase coal production by almost 100m tonnes, with the country battling its worst power crunch and coal shortages in years.

The move is the latest attempt by Chinese authorities to boost coal supply amid record high prices and shortages of electricity that have led to power rationing across the country, crippling industrial output.

The proposed increase would make up almost 3% of China’s total thermal coal consumption. In an urgent notice dated 7 October, the Inner Mongolia regional energy department asked the cities of Wuhai, Ordos and Hulunbuir, as well as Xilingol League, to notify 72 mines that they may operate at stipulated higher capacities immediately, provided they ensure safe production.

An official with the region’s energy bureau confirmed the notice but declined to say how long the production boost would be allowed to last.

The notice came after a meeting on the same day during which the regional authorities mapped out measures for winter energy supplies in response to mandates from China’s state council, or cabinet, the state-run Inner Mongolia Daily reported.

“The (government’s) coal taskforce shall urge miners to raise output with no compromise, while the power task team shall have the generating firms guarantee meeting the winter electricity and heating demand,” the newspaper said.

A Beijing-based trader, who estimated the production boost may take up to two to three months to materialise, said: “This demonstrates the government is serious about raising local coal production to ease the shortage.”

The 72 mines listed by the Inner Mongolia energy bureau, most of which are open pits, had previously authorised annual capacity of 178.45m tonnes. The notice proposed they increase their production capacity by 98.35m tonnes combined, according to Reuters calculations.

“It will help alleviate the coal shortage but cannot eliminate the issue,” said Lara Dong, a senior director with IHS Markit. “The government will still need to apply power rationing to ensure the balancing of the coal and power markets over the winter,” she said.

Inner Mongolia is China’s second biggest coal-producing region, churning out just over 1bn tonnes in 2020 and accounting for more than a quarter of the national total, official data shows.

However, that output was down 8% in 2020 and was falling every month from April through July this year, partly because of an anti-corruption investigation initiated last year by Beijing targeting the coal sector, which led to lower production as miners were banned from producing above approved capacity.

The neighbouring Shanxi province, China’s biggest coal region, had to close 27 coalmines this week because of flooding.

Coal inventories at major Chinese ports were at 52.34m tonnes in late September before a week-long national holiday that started on 1 October, down 18% from the same period last year, data compiled by the China Coal Transportation and Distribution Association showed.

Meanwhile, coal consumption is climbing as north-eastern China has kicked off the winter heating season, with major power plants having stockpiles for about 10 days of use, down from more than 20 days last year.

To ensure power and heating supply to residential users, China has reopened dozens of other mines and approved several new ones.

The government has also called for “appropriately” raising coal imports to levels on a par with last year, analysts said, after imports fell almost 10% in the first eight months.

Environment

259 die in flood disaster – NEMA

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has reported that 1,048,312 people have been affected by flooding in Nigeria between April and September 2024.

The Director-General of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar, disclosed this at the National Emergency Coordination Forum (ECF) in Abuja on Thursday.

Umar stated that 625,239 persons had been displaced and 259 lives lost to the disaster. She commiserated with those affected and assured them that the Federal Government, through NEMA, would provide necessary support. She said the main reason for convening the meeting was to receive updates on the flood situation and assign roles and responsibilities to stakeholders.

Umar noted that although flooding could not be totally prevented, efforts were being made to mitigate its impact.

According to the D-G, 29 states and 172 local government areas have been impacted by flooding, affecting 1,048,312 people, displacing 625,239, and resulting in 259 deaths. She emphasized the need for a coordinated response to the disaster.

“NEMA has activated Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in some states and deployed additional staff to support search and rescue operations. The agency has also provided water purification equipment and critical search and rescue tools to affected states.”

Umar appreciated the support of international partners and encouraged them to continue providing assistance while monitoring the situation. She noted that the situation was not yet overwhelming for the Nigerian government to cope with.

The Assistant Director, Search and Rescue, Wagami Madu, presented an update on the flood, reporting seven deaths in Borno as of Saturday. Madu also mentioned challenges in Maiduguri, including inadequate serving materials and wash facilities due to the high number of people in the camp.

Mrs Emmanuela Offiong, Assistant Director, Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, stressed the need for proper fact-checking and communication on disaster management to avoid disinformation and misinformation.

Environment

Maiduguri flood is an unprecedented incident- NEMA

Aerial view shows houses submerged under water in Maiduguri on September 10, 2024. (Photo by Audu MARTE / AFP)

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has described Tuesday’s flash flood in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital as an unprecedented incident.

Flood water from an overflowing dam destroyed thousands of homes in the Northeastern Nigeria city, with emergency officials fearing the situation could get worse.

“It is an unprecedented incident,” NEMA spokesman Ezekiel Manzo told AFP on Tuesday. “Some of the central parts of the city that have not witnessed flood in so many years are witnessing it today.”

A general view of flood water surrounding a building in Maiduguri on September 10, 2024. (Photo by Audu MARTE / AFP)
Thousands of homes have been submerged by the rapid rise of waters after the rupture of the Alau dam on the Ngadda River, 20 kilometres (12 miles) south of Maiduguri.

“The last three days have over 150,000 individuals with over 23,000 households affected,” said NEMA zonal coordinator Surajo Garba.

But with more locations being hit, “we are sure the figure will be much over 200,000 individuals,” Garba forecast.

“The flood, which began over the weekend and worsened in the following days, was the direct result of excess water from the Alau Dam,” said Nigeria’s Vice-President Kashim Shettima, who hails from Maiduguri as he visited the area.

“The collapse of the spillways unleashed a significant surge of water downstream, causing widespread flooding in the surrounding communities,” added Shettima.

The flood also inundated the city’s post office and main zoo, with authorities warning that “deadly animals has been washed away into our communities (sic).”

Social media showed pictures of an ostrich which had supposedly escaped from the facility wandering the streets of the city.

Manzo said forecasts did not prepare the emergency workers for the extent of the flooding, while also blaming the impact of climate change for the “disaster”.

He told AFP that there were deaths as a result of the incident but declined to give a specific number as rescue workers continue rescue operations in the affected areas.

Environment

Roads, houses submerged, many displaced as flood ravages Maiduguri

Major roads, houses, and shops in Maiduguri metropolis, the Borno State capital, and parts of the Jere Local Government Area have been submerged by floodwaters.

The Shehu’s Palace, the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, and Sanda Kyarimi Park Zoo were some of the public infrastructure submerged by flood.

A prison wall located along the Custom area was broken by flood as some inmates allegedly drowned while several others escaped for their lives.

Major roads within the state capital including the Post-Office Roundabout which links major locations in the capital are flooded thereby cutting off vehicular movement within the metropolis.

The Abbaganaram, Custom Road along which the flooded prison is located, Tashan Bama, Custom Road, Monday Market, Gamboru Market Custom Area, Cattle Market in old Maiduguri, Gwange area, Lagos Street are all communities affected by the flood.

The Maiduguri Zoo’s popularity known as Sanda Kyarimi Zoo Park was flooded too. The General Manager of the zoo, Ali Abatcha, said 80% of the animals in the zoo have been killed by the flood while the others have escaped into the city capital.

Thousands of residents living along waterways and flood-prone areas have been displaced, the majority of whom are women and children.

Several shop owners and small-scale businesses are also affected by the flood.

Touring across safer areas within Maiduguri, thousands of women and children are relocating along with their belongings.

Many of them are seen taking refuge under trees at the major roads.

Apart from large volume rainfall being experienced this year, the flood, according to multiple sources, is a result of leakage of the bank of Alo Dam, a major source of water supply to Maiduguri which draws its source from River Ngadda in Cameroon and the Lake Chad.