Drought hits over a million people in southern China: report
Pastor Dale Morgan
Drought hits over a million people in southern China: report*
BEIJING, Dec 18 (AFP) Dec 18, 2007
A drought described as the worst in 50 years in parts of southern China
has left over a million people short of drinking water, state media
reported Tuesday.
More than one million residents in Guangxi region and nearly 250,000 in
Guangdong province have been impacted by the drought since September,
the China Daily reported.
Guangxi recorded just 0.5 millimetres of rainfall between November 5 and
December 10, the lowest since 1951, while 75 percent of its sugar cane
crop has been affected by the water shortage, the report said.
The water level of the Beijiang river in northern Guangdong fell to just
3.79 meters (12.5 feet) in early December, forcing ships to be delayed
until dredging could be carried out.
Droughts in China occur frequently, with the north of the country
particularly parched.
But in recent years areas in the traditionally wet south have also had
unusually dry weather that some Chinese experts have said may be linked
to global warming.
China's water shortages have been exacerbated by pollution that has
increased at alarming rates during the nation's past three decades of
rapid economic growth.