Droughts Threatened Crops in ChinaThe water shortage is posing a serious threat to agriculture as the drought continues in northeastern and western China. And it is starting to hit southern China. By Wednesday, more than 13-million hectares of crops had been affected by the drought, and 1.4-million hectares of crops had been destroyed. But, crops weren't the only victims. 15 million people and 9.7 million cattle have also been affected.The rainfall in some parts of China has provided some relief since last Friday. But in Liaoning, Jilin, and Helongjiang provinces, and the Inner Mongolia region, crops are still suffering from the heat wave and lack of water. This month, the high temperatures have continued over much of southern China, which has had less than fifty millimeters of precipitation. And, as the summer harvest concludes and the planting season arrives, the need for water turns critical. There have been water shortages developing rapidly in parts of Hubei, Hunan, Anhui, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang provinces, and elsewhere. In Hunan province alone, three-hundred-and-thirty small and mid-sized reservoirs have dried up. And, more than five million hectares of crops don't have enough water. |
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