A prolonged drought has ravaged south China region, causing a drinking water shortage and enormous economic losses, said Wang Shucheng, minister of the Water Resources Ministry.

 According to statistics from the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters (SFDH), the ongoing dry spell has damaged about 3.6 million hectares farmland in south China, threatening 7.1 million people and 3.99 million livestock with shortages of drinking water.

The Guangxi Autonomous Region and Guangdong and Hainan provinces have already taken measures to limit water supplies to conserve water, officials said.

Guangxi estimates 510,000 tons reduction of grain output, with nearly 2.1 billion yuan (US$254 million) direct agricultural loss. Jiangxi Province has 20,000 hectares of aquafarm hit by the drought, losing 450 million yuan (US$54 million) in that sector.

(Xinhua News Agency November 13, 2004)