Six-month-long drought set to end in Yunnan

A drought-hit region in Yunnan province is expected to welcome mild to heavy rainfall before April 16, relieving a six-month-long drought, the China Meteorological Administration forecasted on Wednesday.

From Wednesday to Friday, rainfall may hit eastern parts of the province, while next week another round of rain will be seen in the northeastern parts of the province, according to a CMA weather forecast released on Wednesday.

As of Monday, the severe drought, which started in October, has affected nearly 12 million people and damaged more than 1 million hectares of farmland, with total direct economic losses reaching about 6 billion yuan ($931 million), according to data released by the local civil affairs bureau.

Yunnan has been hit by severe drought every year since 2009, due to the high temperatures in the region and lack of precipitation.

Another 11 provinces and regions including Gansu, Sichuan, Guizhou and Ningxia have been also hit by droughts this year.

According to figures released by local civil affairs bureaus, until Wednesday, more than 47 million people from the 12 drought-hit provinces and regions had been affected, with more than 4.6 million hectares of farmland damaged and direct economic losses reaching nearly 16 billion yuan.