Severe drought in Yunnan leaves two million without water(1/7)

The Heinigou Reservoir, which can hold 600,000 cubic meters of water, has completely dried up in Xiaobaihu township of Luliang county in Yunnan. (Photo/chinadaily.com.cn)

Severe drought has hit Yunnan in Southwest China, with more than two million people facing water shortage.

The drought has affected an area of more than one million hectares, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Water Resources.

The Heinigou Reservoir, which can hold 600,000 cubic meters of water, has completely dried up in Xiaobaihu township of Luliang county in Yunnan. (Photo/chinadaily.com.cn)

Tian Yitang, head of Department of Flood and Drought Disaster Prevention of Ministry of Water Resources, said at a news conference that the ministry and Yunnan province were making all efforts to ensure safe drinking water for everyone.

Tian said the authorities had two major tasks. One was to provide drinking water for everyone and the other to minimize economic loss as much as possible, especially the loss to farmers. Special funds will be announced soon, he added.

The Heinigou Reservoir, which can hold 600,000 cubic meters of water, has completely dried up in Xiaobaihu township of Luliang county in Yunnan. (Photo/chinadaily.com.cn)

The ministry was also working to prevent any potential floods.

In 2010, Yunnan experienced a big drought and since then has set up many water conservancy facilities. Without these facilities, Tian noted, the drought this year would have been worse.

The Heinigou Reservoir, which can hold 600,000 cubic meters of water, has completely dried up in Xiaobaihu township of Luliang county in Yunnan. (Photo/chinadaily.com.cn)

The Heinigou Reservoir, which can hold 600,000 cubic meters of water, has completely dried up in Xiaobaihu township of Luliang county in Yunnan. (Photo/chinadaily.com.cn)

The Heinigou Reservoir, which can hold 600,000 cubic meters of water, has completely dried up in Xiaobaihu township of Luliang county in Yunnan. (Photo/chinadaily.com.cn)

The Heinigou Reservoir, which can hold 600,000 cubic meters of water, has completely dried up in Xiaobaihu township of Luliang county in Yunnan. (Photo/chinadaily.com.cn)