Severe Drought Hits South China

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 ◆ Severe Drought Hits South China

Hainan and Guangdong Provinces, both in south China, are suffering from a severe drought after receiving just a quarter of their normal rainfall this year. Statistics from the local meteorological department show Hainan 's rainfall since the beginning of the year is 86 mm, down 72 percent from the same period last year. Yang Yunxian, director of Hainan Provincial Flood, Wind and Drought Control Headquarters, said that 232 townships have been affected by drought, accounting for 82 percent of the province's total. In the meantime, crops on 181,933 hectares of arable land in the province have been affected, accounting for 39 percent of the province's total sown area. Many small reservoirs in the province have dried up, while major reservoirs have seen a drastic drop in water levels. A total of 1.28 million rural residents are having difficulty in drinking water supply. Some farmers have to travel long distances to fetch drinking water, said Yang. Guangdong Province, which is separated from Hainan by the Qiongzhou Straits, has also been struck by unprecedented drought since last autumn. Most hydrological stations or rainfall observing centers have recorded zero or little rainfall. Water levels in many major local rivers keep dropping, and some ponds, reservoirs and creeks have dried up. Authorities from both provinces have been taking active measures to combat the drought. These measures include sinking new wells, dispatching water tankers to distribute water among residents in drought-hit areas, and cloud seeding to increase rainfall.