A sustained drought has caused water shortages for more than 680, 000 people living in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and neighboring Guizhou Province.

What used to be land that promised a solid harvest is now the source of despair. In six counties around the city of Baise of northwest Guangxi, the water shortages have so far affected at least 200 thousand people, and more than 70 thousand heads of livestock.

31 thousand hectares of crops have been damaged. Yang Yulong, a villager in Longlin County, Guangxi, said, "Normally, the seedlings would show 7-10 leaves after a month and now there are only three. They can survive but are too fragile to grow."

A sustained drought has caused water shortages for more than 680, 000 people living in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and neighboring Guizhou Province.

The average temperature has been 2-3 degrees Celsius higher than normal in drought-hit Guangxi, while the region has seen 30 to 50 percent less precipitation than usual.

In Guizhou, a similar drought is affecting farmers there. The local government has mobilized more than 500 vehicles to provide drinking water to the thirsty population.

But the weather authority says, no effective precipitation is expected for the coming week.

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