Widespread dry spell hits 11m

At least 11 million people are short of drinking water because of a drought that has hit 15 provinces and autonomous regions, with the weather not expected to improve anytime soon, officials and meteorologists have said.

More than half of those affected by the dry spell are in Yunnan province, which is suffering its worst drought in six decades.

Nearly 6 million people and 4 million heads of livestock in Yunnan do not have adequate drinking water, the provincial civil affairs bureau said yesterday. In total, nearly 14 million people are affected by the drought.