Severe drought plagues southern China

While northern China has been hit with excessive snow, the southern part of the country has been plagued by severe drought. In many counties of Yunnan province, residents have been without enough drinking water for a considerable time. Prices of vegetables and fruits have also been soaring.

This is Yimen county in southwest China's Yunnan province. The prolonged drought has drained all the nearby reservoirs and more than 500 villagers living here have gone without sufficient water for more than 40 days. Villager Fa Qingrong travels 15 kilometers a day in his tractor to fetch drinking water. But he just can't get enough water for his family of six.

Fa said, "Every family has a quota of two buckets of water a day."

People of Dawen Village of Donglan Township load barrels of water by  horses in Donglan County, southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous  Region, Feb. 23, 2010. A severe drought since August in 2009 has been  continuing here at present.(Xinhua/Wei Lifu)