A one-week downpour in southern China has begun to ease severe
conditions in the drought-stricken area, meteorologists said.
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Medium to heavy rain began falling last Friday, bringing relief to
a region that has been dry for over two months, said Professor
Zhang Qiang of the Chinese National Meteorological Administration
yesterday. "The drought this autumn can be regarded as the worst in
the southern part of the country since 1951."
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Eastern areas have also been hit along with Guangdong, Hainan,
Jiangxi and Anhui provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
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"Many areas around the southern part of the Yangtze River saw very
limited rain in October, 80 to 90 percent less than in previous
years," Zhang said.
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In
Jiangxi
Province alone, drought has affected more than 620,000 people
and 202,000 hectares of crops, whilst 260,000 livestock have been
short of drinking water.
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But a cold front has moved from Mongolia to the southeast, bringing
rain to the south and lower temperatures in the north.?
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The rain is expected to last for at least another two days, but not
all areas have received enough. Guangdong and southern Guangxi have
reaped only meager rice harvests and have still fallen short of the
water they need.
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The meteorological administration has predicted that most of China
could witness a warm winter this year caused by the coming El Nino
and global warming. The warm winter could make drought conditions
worse, increase the risk of forest and grassland fires and trigger
a spread of animal disease, they said. A dry winter can also
trigger more respiratory diseases.
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The State Council, China's cabinet, held a meeting on Wednesday to
discuss work on drought relief and water conservancy for the coming
winter and spring. There has been more damage from flood and
drought since 1990, and the costs incurred now account for 4
percent of GDP, much higher than in most developed countries.
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(
China Daily November 12, 2004)