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Light rain relief for C China drought

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-05-31 19:12

BEIJING - China's meteorological authority said Tuesday that drought-stricken regions along the lower and middle reaches of the Yangtze River will get some relief with the arrival of light rainfalls in the coming three days.

Drizzles, moderate rains and thundershowers are forecast to hit central China over the next 24 hours, as well as parts of northeast, west and southwest China, according to China's National Meteorological Center (NMC).

Moderate or heavy rains will fall on eastern Sichuan province, Chongqing Municipality and Guizhou province from June 2 to 5, which will increase water levels in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, said the NMC.

Lingering droughts along the Yangtze River have negatively impacted 104.4 million mu (6.96 million hectares), or more than 5 percent, of China's farmlands as of Sunday. The droughts have also impacted 3.29 million people and 950,000 livestock in the provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, and Hunan.

The rainfall will provide some relief to parts of Hunan and western Jiangxi, but the drought itself will most likely continue, said the NMC.