Lingering drought wrecks crops, water supply

The dry spell that began last month has now affected almost 4,000 people due to water shortages and at least 30,000 hectares of farmland, the Beijing water authority said yesterday

The drought-hit areas are mostly in Yanqing county and the districts of Huairou, Fangshan and Changping.

In Yanqing county, the worst hit area, more than 14,300 hectares of cropland are in danger, with 9,700 hectares predicted to yield no harvest for the city's winter crop supply.