Drought Plagues Southern and Central China despite Arrival of Rainy Season

The onset of China's rainy season in June is expected to bring some relief to the drought-affected areas in the South. But for now, farmers there continue to face difficulties with their spring plowing and planting. Ordinary people are affected as well as drinking water is in limited supply. Our reporter He Fei has the details.

Continuous droughts have hit south and central China since the beginning of spring. In Hubei, Jiangxi and Anhui provinces, the amount of rain that has fallen has been far from adequate, making spring plowing and planting extremely difficult.

"The drought here is serious. People can't transplant rice because of the water shortage."

"It is time to plant lotus and wild rice shoots, but we can't do it now since there is little water."

In Jiangxi Province, the water levels of main rivers and lakes have hit their lowest point ever. Experts in central China's Hubei Province believe the drought there could reach the level of extreme weather.

Most lakes have been drying up, causing a blow to the local fishing industry. Water levels have dropped sharply along the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River, making safe and sound shipping difficult.

Xu Kang is from the Marine Department in Hukou County, Jiangxi Province.

"We set a maximum draft of 4.5 meters, and stop big boats from coming into the river and getting stuck."

To reduce the losses caused by the drought, some local governments have sent professional drought resistance teams to stricken areas.

Wen Xuesong is from the Flood Control and Drought Relief Office in Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province.

"We need to assure water supply for people and livestock. If necessary, we can stop power generation in reservoirs."

Wang Shigong, Deputy Director of the College of Atmospheric Science at Lanzhou University, believes the drought in these areas will see some relief with the approach of the rainy season.

"Generally speaking, summer monsoons come in May, which brings the sea moisture to the inland areas. Even if the drought continues in May, it should be alleviated in June with the onset of the rainy season."

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief headquarters says about 500-thousand hectares of rice fields in the south were still short of sufficient amounts of water as of Wednesday. At the same time, drinking water supplies are limited for one million people and 400-thousand livestock.

For CRI, I'm He Fei.