Tibet is hit with worst drought in ten years- People's Daily Online

Tibet is hit with worst drought in ten years

11:21, June 19, 2009

The total area in Tibet affected by this drought is quite large, and the drought is also the worst in ten years, said the relevant official from the Tibet Office of the Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

At present, Tibet has activated a third grade anti-drought emergency response for the first time, allocated a special emergency fund of 3 million yuan for drought relief, and sent several groups to counties where the drought is extremely severe to supervise and guide drought relief work, according to the official.

A rainy season usually comes to Tibet every June. Sunny hot days with little rain have lingered this year however, with the daily temperature reaching a record high in the "Jiangnan of Tibet."

As a result, major agricultural and pastoral areas in Tibet have experienced the worst drought in ten years since summer began.

Some relevant experts stated during an interview with China News Service reporters on June 18 that the drought is likely to spread, but water supplies to cities like Lhasa and Shigatse have not been threatened.

Official statistics show that by June 17, 5 regions and 27 counties (and cities) had been hit by the drought to some extent, with nearly 370,000 mu of land affected.

To be specific, among regions hit hard by the drought are Linzhou County of Lhasa, and four counties (and cities) in the Shigatse region, including Shigatse, Gangba County, Renbu County and Sajia County.

In Nyingchi, known as "Jiangnan of Tibet" thanks to its rainy climate and abundant water resources, precipitation has halved since summer began.

In Chayu County on the border, the maximum temperature neared 32 degrees centigrade on June 17, a record high. It seems that the drought may further spread.

According to the latest analysis from the Tibet Meteorological Bureau, agricultural regions along the Brahmaputra River and its main subsidiaries will not have heavy rain in the near future, the temperature will continue to be relatively high, and the rainless, cloudless and hot weather will persist. The drought relief situation is quite serious.

Officials from the water resources department of Tibet said that the areas most affected by the drought are agricultural and pastoral. Farmland crops in particular are seriously affected because spring crops grow at this time of year, but the drought has inhibited grass growth, making it difficult for grazing animals.

Reporters learned that there are 5.4 million mu of farmland in Tibet, and the irrigation facilities in main corn-growing areas have already been essentially completed.

However, the farmland and crops which do not have irrigation systems will suffer serious losses because of the drought.

The official said that at present, the drought is not threatening the water supplies in large cities such as Lhasa.

By People's Daily Online