Hunger adds to drought's woes
MUYANG, Yunnan - Besides thirst, Yunnan farmer He Zhongcai has to battle another basic need - hunger.
After a seemingly endless drought in Xiaowanshan village since August, the daily dish for He's family is a kind of green grass, called Eyangcao - it means last choice for a starving sheep.
Even after it is soaked in water for a week, the grass has a strong mouth-puckering taste.
On the menu for special days are the few cabbages and asparagus lettuce, stored like treasure in the family's only basket........
In Jindang village of Muyang town, not far from Xiaowanshan, most residents have not had a bath for more than six months. (
unfortunate lack of hygiene that can lead to disease that nature is causing!)....
The severe drought has left more than 93,000 hectares of cropland in the town unproductive, about 30 percent of the total planted area, and also pushed up vegetable prices by 40 percent...........
According to official figures, the severe drought since last autumn has hit Yunnan, Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan and Chongqing in the southwest of the country and affected more than 50 million people, leaving about 16 million without adequate drinking water, China News Service reported on Sunday.
The direct losses reached more than 19 billion yuan as of March 17 and nearly 1 million hectares of cropland has become unproductive.
The drought is forecast to continue in Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou and Guangxi until next month.
According to the Guizhou government, more than 3 million people in the province are suffering from hunger and thirst.....
Xinhua contributed to this story.
Hunger adds to drought's woes