Students face water shortage

In Guizhou Province, drought is spreading from rural to urban areas. Over 4 million primary and middle school students are facing one of their biggest challenges ever. In a school in Mashan Village the ongoing dry spell has created an emergency situation.

Mashan Village School lies at the foot of a mountain.

It has always lacked a reliable water source. Every year, the school runs out of water for a month. The ongoing 8-month drought has exasperated the situation.

The school now relies on a pipeline that pumps water from a source kilometers away.

Every day after dinner, students line up to receive their quota of water.

At nine o'clock after evening classes, the students come to get the water to wash their feet. They use every method to make sure they conserve as much water as possible.

If the dry spell continues, the village's water source will completely dry up. The makeshift water distribution system they are using now could run into trouble in a matter of days. Local authorities are still looking for ways to ease the pressure.

Over 4 million primary and middle school students are facing one of their  biggest challenges ever.