More than 2 million Chinese hit by drought

Around 2.2 million people are facing a shortage of drinking water due to a severe drought in parts of central, southern and eastern China, with some cities starting to run low on supplies.

17 January 2011, 12:00am

1 min read

Government blamed the shortage on the decrease in rainfall, down by between 20 to 90 percent when compared with the same period last year in the provinces of Henan, Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui and Shaanxi.

Xinhua news agency added that some of the areas affected are major growing regions for winter wheat.

Some of the areas affected are major growing regions for winter wheat, the report added.

"Relentless droughts that started to dry out winter wheat producing areas such as Shandong and Henan provinces in November continue, affecting some 4 million hectares of cropland," Chen Lei, deputy head of drought relief efforts, said, calling for more work to be put into relief efforts..

"Governments at all levels should fully recognise the challenge and ramp up drought-relief efforts," he said.

Drought has affected winter wheat crops in 17 percent of China's wheat growing areas in the country's northern bread basket, and dry weather is forecast to extend until spring next year, the government said last month.

Meanwhile, other parts of the country have been hit by freezing rain and heavy snow.