On the evening of February 28, snow turned to be Linyi's salvation after it endured one of Shandong Province's most epic droughts. [weather.com.cn]

On the evening of February 28, snow turned to be Linyi's salvation after it endured one of Shandong Province's most epic droughts.

Most parts of the province hadn't received a drop of rain since October. About 1.69 million people faced a shortage of drinking water. The drought jeopardized more than half of the province's wheat crop, with nearly 15 percent severely damaged.

The hardest-hit city has been Linyi, the province's largest prefecture-level city, in southeastern Shandong. Just 5.8 millimeters of rain has fallen since last September, down 94 percent compared to last year's average.

According to figures from the Department of Water Resources, this was the biggest drought Linyi has faced in over 128 years. The mountainous areas of Linyi, such as Fei County and Pingyi County faced the most severe shortages.

Authorities say ample water has been stored to ensure continuity in the region's food production. Local officials earmarked 6.85 million yuan (US$ 1.04 million) to tackle the drought and prepared to make full use of their water reserves for the thirstiest areas. Over 100 reservoirs were set up in Pingyi County .

In Huangtu Village, Datianzhuang Township, Fei County, a co-operative for the agricultural water supply stored ample water reserves in a dam located in the county's highlands. Villagers bought the stored water to irrigate their crops, and Co-operative members could buy the water at lower price. As a bonus, the co-operative was able to earn revenue from selling part of the water reserves.