Bone-dryis one way to describe it, as the only thing hydroelectric dams acrosssouthwest Chinaare holding back is sun-baked earth. This is a common scene as rivers andreservoirs have completely dried up in the worst drought in over a hundredyears. This reservoir in Yunnan Province dried upcompletely last February after the region saw no significant rain since lastautumn. The plant owner says this empty reservoir usually holds 200,000 cubicmeters but now worries he could lose more than just water.
"Normally the water would be around 8 meters deep, but now there is noteven a drop. If it goes on like this we stand to lose about 440,000 dollars ina year. "
Without any water the generators have been switched off reducing the province'stotal power generation capacity by 30 percent. Workers are spending time doingbasic maintenance for when the rain finally returns. But if it doesn't soon,they could see their jobs turn to dust.
"If it doesn't rain and the plant’s economic situation doesn't improve, wewon't have an income. If we don't have an income, we can't stay on here. We'llhave to think about other places to go and make a living."
But this isn't the only livelihood the drought is affecting. 20 millionresidents and 12 million heads of livestock are without sufficient drinkingwater. Farmers in the region are also seeing parched crops wither and die.Rapeseed is the first crop of the year and production is expected to be reducedby two thirds. Local residents feel this could be an ominous sign of things tocome.
"The rapeseed we planted is no good. It had a huge effect on us. We haveno income. All we have is the land. If it doesn't rain we have nothing. I don'tknow what to do."
The Chinese government is digging wells, seeding clouds and delivering water toease the crisis. They also have large reserves of grains and edible oil to staysharp price increases. But that is of little comfort to rural farmers who seetheir livelihoods and lives at stake without any rain.
Ian Lee,Reuters
