Over 2 lakh people facing water shortage in China

Beijing: As many as 2.37 lakh people are reeling under the drinking water crisis due to the severe drought in Central China's Hubei Province since the past three weeks.

The province has received an average precipitation of 10.5 mm since the beginning of the month, only 10 per cent of the normal volume, the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters said in a release.

It said the northwest part of the province suffered the most from the drought.

In Shiyan and Yichang cities, the driest areas, 2,37,000 people and 1,70,000 cattles were suffering from drinking water shortage, State-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, 1,23,000 hectares of cropland were damaged by the drought, posing severe challenges for this year's harvest.

The provincial government has sent water wagons to bring relief to the parched villages and townships.