The drought in East and West Guangdong Province is very severe

Due to low levels of rainfall, there is a water shortage threatening more than 100,000 people living in the areas of Zhanjiang, Meizhou and Heyuan.

Most of the rice fields are short of water

It has been reported that the drought is most severe in the areas of Meizhou, Chaozhou, Shanwei, Heyuan, Jieyang and Zhanjiang. There is a decrease in water levels in the dams with some dams drying out, causing water shortages for residents in these districts. In Zhanjiang only, there is around 1,100,000 Mu (Chinese measurements) of rice fields affected by the drought in which around 800,000 Mu are the worst disaster areas. The drought is becoming worse.

At the same time, a drought, which usually occurs every 50 years, has also struck Wuhua County in East Guangdong and most of the fields are being threatened. Two hundred sixty medium and small hydroelectric plants have closed down causing a water shortage for more than 100,000 people.

Guangzhou Yangchen Evening Newspaper

Serious shortage of water sources in Hebei Province, this spring water shortage will reach up to 6.477 million cubic meters

Reports from Shijiazhuang City reveal that due to a drought that has lasted 5 years, precipitation within the province last year was uneven. This spring the province will have a water shortage of up to 6.477 million cubic meters, the most serious year of water shortages so far. Besides the population, which has always lacked drinking water, another 560,000 people will experience water shortages this year. The number is expected to rise to 1,500,000 by the end of May. If the precipitation does not rise this year, Hebei's cities will have water shortages for the second half of the year as well.

Cangzhou Evening Paper (March 27, 2002, page 4)