Rain eases drought in south China

Rain has eased a lingering drought in the city of Baise in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, local authorities said Tuesday.

From early Saturday morning, heavy rain and regional rainstorms hit Baise and nearby areas suffering from sustained drought, according to the regional flood control and drought relief headquarters.

In spite of this, there are still about 130,000 people short of drinking water in the drought-affected regions. The drought has also withered more than 445,900 mu (about 29,726 hectares) of cropland.

The regional weather bureau said earlier that western and southern parts of Guangxi were suffering from heat waves and droughts. The average temperatures were two to three degrees Celsius higher than normal, and the region had seen 30 to 50 percent less precipitation than usual.