Drought in China leaves four million in jeopardy

A long drought in southwest China has left nearly four million people and 4.5 million livestock short of drinking water, state media reported today.

Xinhua News Agency said 80 counties or cities in Sichuan were affected.

It said there was some rainfall last month, but only in limited areas.

The drought has made it impossible to plant crops in large areas, with some crops drying up, Xinhua said.

Droughts and other weather-related problems are common in China, which already suffers from natural water shortages, especially in the north.

Xinhua reported last month that nearly one million people were affected by a drought in northwest Gansu province, while 190,000 in central Hubei province also faced a water shortage due to a lack of rain.