The industrial city of Shenyang is bracing for a parched summer as Liaoning province faces its fourth drought in a row.
The northeast province is part of a vast tract of land - from the Inner Mongolia plateau to the Bohai Bay - which accounts for 13.7 per cent of the country's arable land, yet boasts just 1.8 per cent of its water resources.
The 23 large reservoirs in Liaoning, which had been drawn down by one-third by last autumn, failed to be replenish because of the scant winter snowfall.
The situation is particularly severe around Shenyang, where water levels at the eight reservoirs supplying the city are 60 per cent below last spring's volume.
Liaoning Governor Bo Xilai has made tackling the water shortage a top priority.
Shenyang officials have announced that water prices will be raised in June by almost 70 per cent to 2.70 yuan (HK$2.55) per cubic metre from 1.60 yuan. Higher water prices would help stem the losses of the public utility and encourage conservation, according to the municipal government.