Fears of a “severe scenario” in the Sichuan province due to the loss of water to the hydroelectric system have prompted forecasters to warn that the heat wave could persist well into September.

China’s Yangtze River is receding, revealing a submerged island containing three Buddhist statues believed to be 600 years old.

Parts of the Yangtze, the third-longest river in the world, are drying up as a result of a severe heatwave that has prompted a statewide drought notice.

The three statues were discovered on the highest point of the island reef in Chongqing, China’s southwestern city.

Foyeliang, one of the statues on the island, represents a monk seated on a lotus pedestal.

Temperatures have often exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in several cities, making this the worst heatwave in the last six decades.

Fears of a “severe scenario” in the Sichuan province due to the loss of water to the hydroelectric system have prompted forecasters to warn that the heat wave could persist well into September.

Authorities have worked to maintain power and locate new water to irrigate fields before the fall harvest.

The intense heatwave across the Yangtze basin was caused by a subtropical high in the Western Pacific that was greater than typical.

It has continued for more than two months, diminishing hydropower supplies and drying off vast tracts of agricultural land.

About one-third of the country’s population lives along the Yangtze River.

As a result of climate change, Beijing officials have warned of an increased risk of extreme weather in China, while heavy rains have continued to cause damage in other parts of the country.

Officials have reported that water levels on the main stem of the Yangtze and the flood basin lakes of Dongting and Poyang are now at least 4.85 meters (16 feet) lower than normal and the lowest ever recorded for the period.

Since July, rainfall in the region has been approximately 45 % below average, according to forecasters.