Against the backdrop of southwest China’s worst drought in a century, a leading Chinese environmentalist has called on listed companies to be more transparent about industrial emissions and their environmental performance.

Ma Jun, director of the Beijing-based non-governmental organisation the Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs, told the Wall Street Journal that several factors have exacerbated the shortage of rainfall experienced in recent months. One reason is the amount of logging and deforestation in the region, which has weakened the ecological capability to regulate water.

Another problem is the highly polluted lakes, which means that water can no longer be used for drinking or irrigation. Recent, large hydropower and mining projects have worsened matters. Mr Ma urged the government prevent overexploitation of the country’s resources. He pointed to the fact that Beijing has suspended building 13 cascade dams on the Nu River, which flows into Thailand and Burma as the Salween River.