Worst drought in Guizhou for 6 decades
More than 20 million people in Guizhou have been affected by the worst drought to hit the southwestern province in six decades, according to local media.
The Guizhou Daily said the most severe drought since 1951 had left more than 12.6 million residents in 70 of the province's 88 counties short of drinking water.
Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu rushed to Guizhou last week and visited hard-hit Qianxinan prefecture in the southwest of the province, home to many members of the Miao and Dong ethnic minorities. at a meeting in the provincial capital, Guiyang, on Sunday, he urged local officials to step up efforts to combat the drought and ensure people's livelihoods, Xinhua reported.
Hui was quoted as telling officials that the most pressing task was to ensure drinking water and that efforts should also be made to maintain agricultural production and prevent forest fires.
He warned that battling the drought in the southwest would become more challenging with the end of the rainy season.
Apart from Guizhou, another 8.4 million people living in drought-hit regions in neighbouring Yunnan province had also been affected, the Yunnan Daily reported.
People living in Sichuan province, the Guangxi autonomous region and Chongqing municipality have also been hit by the drought, which started in June, Xinhua said.
To lessen the impact of the natural disaster, the Ministry of Agriculture said on its website on Sunday that it would strengthen communication and co-operation with meteorological and water conservancy departments to implement drought-relief efforts.
