Dead paddy seedlings are pictured on a dried-up paddy field in Zhaoping County, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region August 1, 2007. Local residents are experiencing a once-in-a decade severe drought due to continuous searing heat and shortages of rainfall, which has left large swathes of farmland cracked and crowds of residents thirsty for sufficient drinking water. [Newsphoto]

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