Villagers struggle for survival

PANXIAN, Guizhou - Facing the worst drought in nearly a century in Southwest China's Guizhou province, people here are struggling for survival against a prolonged water shortage that has threatened their very lives.

Zhang Qipin, a 17-year-old boy, and his mother queue for hours each day along with hundreds of others in Yinggongshan, a village of 3,500 residents in Banqiao township of Pan county, to collect drinking water from three fire vehicles carrying the vital liquid from town.

It has become a daily routine for survival since early February, when no more water could be taken from nearby sources, including water cellars at home.