Drought Intensifying Across China, Including Henan & Hebei Provinces , Key To Agriculture

[hatrack]

A SRPING drought is intensifying across north China due to scarce rainfall and high temperatures, drying up reservoirs and farmland and threatening drinking water supplies for millions, Xinhua news agency reported today.

A top meteorological official warned last week that China was likely to be hit by more extreme weather, including typhoons, floods and drought, this year than at any time in the past decade because of global warming, Reuters said, citing Xinhua.

Among the hardest hit is Henan Province, the country's bread basket, where rainfall since March has been down 70 percent on the average for the last two years, with no significant rain expected this month, Xinhua said.

A total of 157 reservoirs in the northwestern region of Ningxia, or about 77 percent, and 186,000 wells had dried up. Drought had damaged or destroyed 11 million hectares of crops and left 4.8 million people and as many cattle short of drinking water, it added.

EDIT

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2007/200705/20070515/article_315947.htm

[KoKo]

1. Well...that might put an end to their sending "organic" brocolli and spinach to the US

and some other of their tainted products. Feel sad for them...as we lose agricultural acreage all over the world due to the climate change from all our pollutants, though.