Mountain province in south-west China experiences worst drought in 10 years

The mountain province of Yunnan in south-west China is experiencing the worst drought in a decade, which has already affected the lives of 1.5 million locals, Xinhua news agency reported on April 17. According to the latest data, 1.48 million residents of the province and 417,300 heads of livestock faced a lack of drinking water, while 306,667 hectares of wheat were damaged by drought, the local water conservation department said. Some 100 rivers in the province have been dehydrated, 180 reservoirs have dried up and 140 irrigation wells lack water supplies. The province is located on the Yunnan-Guizhou Highlands. The region allocated 546 million yuan (about $77.1 million) to fight drought and mobilized 1.13 million people, as well as 131.1 thousand units of irrigation equipment to moisturize farmland in anticipation of the summer rainy season.