Hainan, an island province in south China, has been hit by a severe drought.

The drought has affected 16 cities and counties on the island, and eight of them have been particularly hard hit.

The Hainan Provincial Office for the Control of Natural Disasters said 243 small reservoirs and 669 ponds in the province had dried up.

Authorities said the drought had affected 99,600 hectares of crops, or 21.6 percent of the sown area, and 218,100 residents and 81,700 head of livestock.

Counties and cities within the province had mobilized 479,300 people and spent 12.29 million yuan (US$1.48 million) on measures to counter the drought, including cloud seeding.

The provincial meteorological observatory warned that the drought would worsen as high temperatures and low rainfall continue for the foreseeable future.

The provincial government issued a circular calling for more people to help fight the drought and reduce economic losses.

Hainan, a tropical region, is one of China's major bases for the production of agricultural products, especially off-season vegetables.

(Xinhua News Agency May 5, 2003)