Lingering drought affects SW China

A drought this intense has not been seen in more than two decades in southwest China’s Sichuan province. Facing parched farmland and scorched wheat, farmers here have in front of them a nightmare scene before the coming Spring Ploughing season.
Wheat here in previous years could grow a meter tall, now only 80 cm, and per hectare we used to get around 12,000 kilograms of wheat, but this year it will be difficult to hit 1,500 kilograms per hectare.

A drought this intense has not been seen in more than two decades in southwest China’s Sichuan province.

The statistics from the provincial civil affairs department shows more than 6 million people have been severely affected by the drought, with financial losses nearly 1.7 bln yuan in the province.
Yang Xiaobo, Analyst, Sichuan Meteorological Bureau, said, “In recent years, the Indian Ocean’s temperature has been at abnormal levels, leading to the abnormal water moisture movement, and this has lead to the drought in southwest China.”
Lingering drought has also had a grave impact in China’s southwest provinces of Guizhou and Yunnan, where more than 12 million people and millions of heads of livestock have been affected.
Luo Hong, Director, Neijiang Agricultural Bureau, said, “About 80,000 hectares lands were affected, and it’s also had an impact on the growth of wheat and rape and broad beans.”

A drought this intense has not been seen in more than two decades in southwest China’s Sichuan province.

The drought will also eventually hit livestock farming as well. This cattle rancher says these animals have not had drinking water for 2 days because of the shortage.
He Shuliang, Neijiang Cattle Rancher, said, “We’ve sold a number of cattle, we have no water for these cattle, we really don’t know what to do."
He Shuliang has sold more than 200 of his 600 animals because he cannot afford to feed them. Analysts say if the drought continues it will impact the commodity and food prices.
With so many ponds like this drying up, and no adequate irrigation system in the area, ranchers and farmers have been forced to rely on water supplied by local fire trucks to feed their parched land and thirsty livestock.