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Drought causes food and water shortages
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The drought in south and Southwestern China has lasted for 5 months. Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou Guangxi and Chongqing Municipality, have received only half the amount of rainfall they usually get. A drought this severe has not been seen in decades in the region and has left people struggling.
![A boy squeezes the last drop from a mineral water bottle in Wulong county, Chongqing, on Saturday. The area is suffering from one of the severest droughts in history. [Xinhua]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20100323/001ec94a1ee40d126d8a15.jpg "A boy squeezes the last drop from a mineral water bottle in Wulong county, Chongqing, on Saturday. The area is suffering from one of the severest droughts in history. [Xinhua]") |
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A boy squeezes the last drop from a mineral water bottle in Wulong county, Chongqing, on Saturday. The area is suffering from one of the severest droughts in history. [Xinhua] |
As the drought continues, getting drinking water is becoming more difficult for people in Yunnan.
Local officials say if the drought continues into May, all the water in the reservoirs and ponds in the province will be used up.
Almost a quarter of the local population will suffer drinking water shortages by then.
The drought has cut the province's power generation capacity by 30 percent, as it largely relies on hydropower.
The drought has damaged at least 3 million hectares of cropland in the Province.
Many farmers complain all their wheat, beans and vegetables have died.
Yunnan is not alone, other provinces and municipalities in Southeastern China face the same problem.
China's State Commission of Disaster Relief says the severe drought has affected 51 million Chinese.
Over 16 million people and 11 million livestock are short of drinking water.
The drought has affected over 6 and half million hectares of arable land.
Dry conditions have also caused a food shortage.
3 million people in Guizhou province and 7 million in Yunnan province are in need of food.
