Authorities in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, have rolled out emergency cooling measures to keep the city running and residents safe as temperatures soared past 40 degrees Celsius this week.
To combat the heat, the city deployed fog cannon trucks and water sprinkler trucks in joint cooling operations.
The fog cannon trucks atomize water into fine mist that evaporates quickly, drawing heat from the air and lowering the surrounding temperature while increasing humidity. Following behind, the sprinkler trucks spray water directly onto the ground to cool it rapidly and protect asphalt roads from softening under extreme temperatures.
"We dispatch 127 vehicle trips daily to conduct comprehensive sweeping of the 61 main and secondary roads in our jurisdiction. At the same time, we adjust the frequency of operations based on temperature changes, relying primarily on machinery to safeguard the health of frontline sanitation workers," said Zhang Yan, deputy head of the Sanitation and Waste Collection Team of Urumqi’s Shayibake District Urban Management Bureau.
At downtown rest stations, outdoor workers can pause to cool off. The stations stock heat prevention supplies including mung bean soup, watermelon, and herbal remedies, ensuring both safety and comfort during breaks.
"Every time we finish our shift, we come here to rest because it's really cool here as there is an air conditioner, which is great," said a cleaner.
The local weather service forecasts that the current heatwave in Urumqi will end this week.
China's Urumqi deploys trucks, rest stations amid heatwave
