Chinese government battles drought

The worst drought in 60 years continues to scorch Southwestern China. The central government has initiated an emergency response mechanism, and teams of experts have been sent to oversee relief work in Yunnan Province and the neighbouring Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

In Yunnan Province's Ludian County, the majority of domestic cisterns have run out of water. Authorities are dispatching pumpers to supplement supplies for local families.

The worst drought in 60 years continues to scorch Southwestern China.

Hu Chaozhu, local farmer, said, "This water is brought in by our government from more than 30 kilometers away. We only use it for cooking and drinking. For washing, we'd like to go to counties several kilometers away from here. We cherish this water very much."

To stave off an impending severe disaster, local authorities in the Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture are drawing up new ways to exploit ground water.

Feng Weiling, vice bureau head of Chuxiong Water Management, said, "We plan to dig more than 700 wells to make ends meet. But we'll only start digging after other sources are depleted."

The drought has affected nearly 1.2 million hectares of crops in Yunnan and Guangxi, with direct economic losses of more than 3.6 billion yuan in the agriculture sector.

The central government has earmarked 50 million yuan for emergency funding. The cash infusion will help the affected areas restore depleted farm production, while ensuring that people and livestock maintain access to adequate drinking water supplies.