Reuters AlertNet Lite - Drought threatens 1.5 million in southwest China

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Drought threatens 1.5 million in southwest China

27 Feb 2007 00:43:51 GMT
Source: Reuters

BEIJING, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Drought in southwestern China is threatening the drinking water supplies of 1.5 million people and authorities are considering seeding clouds to make it rain, state media said on Tuesday.

The problem has been compounded by last summer's heat wave in the densely populated municipality of Chongqing, as water supplies have still not recovered, the Beijing News said.

More than 10 ships which ply the Yangtze River have been stranded by the low water levels, it added.

Some parts of Chongqing -- home to some 30 million people -- have started limiting water supplies to residents and are drilling new wells to find underground sources of water, the report said.

Last summer's drought was the worst to hit southwest China in more than a century, when temperatures topped 40 degrees Celsius (104.00F) and about 18 million people faced drinking water shortages.

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Last updated:Tue Feb 27 00:44:15 2007