Drought Causes Water Shortage In China
August 2, 2011 by UPI - United Press International, Inc.
BEIJING, Aug. 2 (UPI) — A lengthy drought has parched several regions of China, leaving 4.28 million people facing water shortages, officials said.
The drought, blamed on high temperatures and insufficient rain the past two months, has affected Inner Mongolia, the Ningxia Hui region and the provinces of Gansu, Guizhou and Hunan, China Daily reported citing the Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.
Besides people, 3.88 million head of livestock also are facing water shortages and the dry conditions have affected 10.5 million acres of arable land in these areas, the report said.
Chinese Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu has asked for more support for relief work in the drought-hit southern regions to guarantee supplies of water for people and agriculture.
“We haven’t seen a single drop of rain here since June,” said chief agronomist Zhang Honglong in the town of Anshun in Guizhou province. In Anshun alone, 116,000 people have experienced water shortages, the report said.
“We lack the funds to help the farmers to harvest their crops and we hope media reports will attract the governments’ attention,” Zhang said.
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