Drought Drying Up Thousands of Rivers and Reservoirs in China

Millions Short of Drinking Water in S, SW and Central China

Disastrous drought continues to plague parts of Guizhou, Hunan and Hubei provinces, affecting at least 12 million people.  More than 3 million people and 2 million livestock have been affected by severe shortages of drinking water, and the drought is expected to continue, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said. As of July 26, about 2.5 million hectares of farmland have also been affected.

• “Since the start of July, the amount of precipitation in those areas has been down dramatically from that recorded during the same period of last year, the headquarters said.”

• “In the coming days, droughts are likely to continue in those regions as high temperatures and little precipitation persist, according to the country’s weather forecasters.”

Guizhou Province: Persistent and widespread droughts in southwest China’s Guizhou Province have affected up to 10 million people in more than 200 counties since mid-June. More than 1 million people lack adequate supplies of drinking water, and about 600,000 hectares of crops is being lost or damaged by the drought, said the provincial government.

Hunan Province:  Severe drought has spread in central China’s Hunan Province leaving more 1.15 million people short of drinking water.

“Over 100 counties in 14 cities and prefectures in the province have been affected by the drought. About 6 million mu (400,000 hectares) of crops have also been affected and 311,000 heads of livestock lack adequate amounts of drinking water, according to the headquarters,” said a report.

“The extreme weather has also caused 186 rivers and 252 reservoirs to dry up.

“The province has sent 2.5 million people and 13,000 water tankers to irrigate croplands and provide water for 365,000 people, the headquarters said.”

YOU Could Be Next!

Original Caption:  Resident Lyu Youde walks on the dried-up pond bed at Jingtang Village of Wufengpu Town in Shaoyang County, central China’s Hunan Province, July 24, 2013. A drought that has lasted since early July has left 533,000 people short of drinking water in the province. 107 counties of 14 cities and prefectures in the province have been affected by the drought, with about 6027,000 hectares of crops damaged and 311,000 heads of livestock short of water. Also in the province, 186 rivers and 252 reservoirs are dry. (Xinhua/Li Ga). More images…

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