By: Ana Rae
Worst Drought in Half Century Shrivels the Wheat Belt of China
Currently a drought in northern Asia is affecting 4.7 million people. In certain regions of China the land hasn’t seen rain since October. But this drought has highlighted the urgency of water problems. Areas that grow three fifths of China’s crops are only getting one fifth as much rain as the rest of the country. The drought has been the worst Northern China’s seen in half of century. Zheng Songxian, a fifty-year-old man that lives in Qiaobei expected to have one foot of wheat by this time in February but currently has two inches. This year he was offered a third of an acre of land but declined. The land he was offered normally stands under twenty feet of water but because of the drought has become just another field of winter wheat. Mr. Songxian predicts he will lose one third of his harvest this year.
Aquifers have been so depleted in some farms and fields that wells need to drill half a mile before hitting water. The government is already struggling with the economic crisis and this drought makes everything worse. A water shortage could raise costs and cut income for farmers even as wheat prices increase. The government is also concerned with jobless migrant and water shortages and failed crops aren’t making the situation better. The county level chief of local drought relief efforts, Gong Xinzhen is bringing pumps to take water from streams and wells. He is also handing out millions of plastic bags for people to bring home water from taps. Along with that he is hiring seven trucks to haul water from regions where water has run out.
This is important because we need to be aware of things happening in other countries so we can educate others. It is also important because there might be certain things you can do to help out, that you might not have known before.
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