Severe droughts hit east and central China provinces

Severe droughts parching the eastern Anhui province and the central Hubei province have left hundreds of thousands of people short of drinking water, local authorities said Tuesday.

The northern part of Anhui province has seen the lowest amount of rainfall, 26 millimeters, on record since May 1, according to the latest data from the provincial hydrological bureau.

A total of 13.9 million mu of crops in Anhui have been affected and more than 1,000 ships stranded along a 3-km-long section on the lower reaches of the Wohe River, leaving more than 2,000 boatmen on the ships with little drinking water.

The drought is expected to be relieved as the province will see rainstorms in the following few days, the Anhui Provincial Meteorological Observatory said Tuesday.

The drought in the southern part of Hubei has been relieved by recent heavy rain in the region. From Tuesday to Thursday, the region will see a new round of rainstorms, according to the provincial meteorological observatory.

As of Sunday, 31 cities or counties in Hubei had been affected by the drought, with 5.1 million mu of crops withered and the economic losses of 350 million yuan (55 million U.S. dollars) incurred.