A severe drought has been plaguing Guilin City in southwestern
China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region this year,
with autumn rainfalls at a record low since 1979. The persisting
drought leaves only one tenth of the 83-kilometer long sight-seeing
route on the scenic Lijiang River navigable. Some sections of the
river have already dried up.
The riverbed is seen
exposed at one section of the Lijiang River, Guangxi Zhuang
Autonomous Region on December 11, 2007.
Tourist boats are forced to
be docked at the wharf in Yangshuo, Guilin City of Guangxi Zhuang
Autonomous Region due to low water level in the Lijiang
River.
Stone elephants at a local
park that were once submerged in the Lijiang River are seen
stranded on the dried-up river-bed.
A tourist ponders over the
little pool of water that is left of the section of the Lijiang
River that runs through the urban area of Guilin City in Guangxi
Zhuang Autonomous Region.
(CRI December 12, 2007)
