Severe drought in SW China regions likely to linger till May

KUNMING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- A severe drought in southwest China, which local people say is the worst in a century, is forecast to linger and extend till the start of the rainy season in May, according to two provincial meteorological stations.

Villagers drive mule down the mountain to fetch water in Huize County of Qujing City,  southwest China's Yunnan Province, on March 7, 2010.(Xinhua/Qin Qing)

The meteorological stations in Yunnan and Guizhou provinces made the forecast Wednesday saying no effective and widespread rainfall could be expected before May, although weak rainfall was likely in the second half of this month.

The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) said Sunday that the drought since autumn last year had affected 61.31 million mu (4.09 million hectares) of farmland in southwest China as of March 5.

About 32.95 million mu (2.20 million hectares) of that area was seriously damaged, according to the MOA.