November 7, 2006

Drought in China's Shandong province damages wheat crops

A two-month-old drought in eastern China has left 1.9 million people short of drinking water and damaged wheat crops in a major grain-producing province, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Monday (Nov 6).

Rainfall in densely populated Shandong is 81 percent below normal levels since early September, causing rivers and streams to dry up, Xinhua said.

The government has dispatched 340,000 vehicles to deliver drinking water to people and livestock, the report said.

The drought is likely to cause a drastic reduction in grain output and could last through the traditionally dry winter, Xinhua said.