Tuesday February 27, 8:53 AM     Reuters*

Drought threatens 1.5 million in China*

BEIJING (Reuters) - Drought in southwestern China is threatening the
drinking water supplies of 1.5 million people and authorities are
considering seeding clouds to make it rain, state media said on Tuesday.

The problem has been compounded by last summer's heat wave in the
densely populated municipality of Chongqing, as water supplies have
still not recovered, the Beijing News said.

More than 10 ships which ply the Yangtze River have been stranded by the
low water levels, it added.

Some parts of Chongqing -- home to some 30 million people -- have
started limiting water supplies to residents and are drilling new wells
to find underground sources of water, the report said.

Last summer's drought was the worst to hit southwest China in more than
a century, when temperatures topped 40 degrees Celsius (104.00F) and
about 18 million people faced drinking water shortages.