The worst drought in 50 years in northeast China’s Liaoning Province has caused a serious threat to the rice industry and a severe shortage of drinking water in the area, China News Agency reported today.
The province’s rainfall was 40 percent less than normal in March and 80 percent to 90 percent less than normal during April and May.
The drought has stricken farms covering 1.6 million square meters, with more than 900,000 square meters in western Liaoning unable to be sown. Only one quarter of the rice paddy has received a normal water supply.
The drought also caused the groundwater level to fall, causing a shortage of drinking water for more than 700,000 people and nearly 400,000 livestock.
About 22 large-scale reservoirs in the province have a water reserve equaling two-thirds of last year and two-fifths of the year before last.
Drought has worsened in the past three years in Liaoning and caused great losses to this main commodity grain plantation base in China. Meteorologists said long-lasting high temperatures and little rainfall this spring will make the drought continue and possibly get worse.
(www.eastday.com.cn 05/29/2001)
