Continuing drought in south China has worsened saltwater
contamination of fresh water, threatening supplies to homes and
industries, and damaging crops in Guangdong's coastal areas.
"We haven't had a single drop of rain this autumn," said Liu
Chenguang, deputy director of the Zhuhai Water Resources
Department.
On western Guangdong's Leizhou Peninsula, where agriculture and
forestry play a vital role in economic development, the situation
is particularly grave.
More than 23,333 hectares of farmland in the coastal cities of
Zhanjiang, Maoming and Yangjiang, have dried up.
Water in reservoirs in the western and eastern parts of
Guangdong is also ebbing away.
By the end of last week, water reserves in Zhanjiang totaled
just 850 million cubic meters, 38 percent less than at the same
time last year when 1.29 billion cubic meters of water were
available.
In some areas, residents are suffering drinking water shortages,
an official from Guangdong Provincial Anti-Drought Headquarters
said yesterday.
The drought is also affecting the prosperous Pearl River Delta
region.
Water levels in the Xijiang, Beijiang and Dongjiang rivers, the
three major tributaries of the Pearl River, have fallen.
According to the Guangdong Provincial Meteorological
Observatory, the drought might last until spring, with little
rainfall forecast for the coming months.
As a result of the drought, the coastal cities of Zhuhai and
Zhongshan to the west of the Pearl River Delta, and Guangzhou have
reportedly been hit by salt tides.
The city launched a water diversion program in March, to collect
fresh water from the Pearl River, the official said. The project
was proposed by the Chinese People's Political Consultative
Conference Zhuhai Committee.
(China Daily November 1, 2005)