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Drought kills rivers, forests
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Nearly half of China's drought-plagued farmland is located in Yunnan Province. Rivers there are drying up and forests are dying.
The Jinsha River is the westernmost of major headwater streams of China's longest river, the Yangtze.
The falling water level exposes the sand.
Li Jianping, Yuanmou County Hydrological Station, said, "Last year, the water level was here. Now it's over there, declining 3.8 meters."
If drought conditions last another month, the water will fall to a record low.
Big ships are also stalled.
Qi Lin, Chief, Yuanmou County Transport Bureau, said, "If the water continues to fall, we have to seal off the shipping."
Villages in the area have no roads. Their life depends on shipping.
Pu Hongfang, Villager, said, "We can't get our agricultural products out. Patients can't see doctors."
Water in the province's main rivers and reservoirs is about a third less than before.
The worst drought in a century is also killing the trees.
Tian Zhide, Chief Xuanwei City Forestry Bureau, said, "Nearly 60 thousand hectares of forest in the city are ruined. If the situation lingers for two months more, 90 thousand hectares will be affected."
These drought-resistant shelter forests were meant to protect the environment. But now they can't even protect themselves.
