Among the hardest hit is Henan province, the country’s bread basket, where rainfall since March has been down 70% on average for the last two years, with no significant rain expected this month.
A total of 157 reservoirs have dried up in the northwestern region of Ningxia, Xinhua said. Drought has damaged or destroyed 11 million hectares of crops and left 4.8 million people and as many cattle short of drinking water, it added.