China: Rice Belt Faces Water Scarcity

Large areas in the rice growing belt of southern China are suffering from serious water scarcity and drought as water levels on two major rivers in provinces dropping to historic lows.

Drought and floods are perennial problems in China where meteorologists have complained about the increased extreme weather, partly blaming it on climate change.

Rainfall since the beginning of October this year has dropped by almost 90 % in the province of  Jiangxi and by 86 % in neighboring Hunan, the country's largest rice-growing province.