China drought may develop as flood season over; hot in south

China drought may develop as there is only a limited possibility of heavy rains in the north, and high temperatures in the south may worsen the situation there, the government flood and drought relief office said Thursday (September 3).

As the flood season has passed in most northern areas, there are unlikely to be any strong rains, the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said in a statement published on its Web site.

In the south, temperatures have been high recently, aggravating dry conditions, it said.

As of Tuesday, 8 million hectares of croplands were suffering from drought, down 37 percent from the peak level, but slightly higher than average, the office said.

Of the total drought-hit crop areas, 32 percent are heavily affected, it said.