CHANGSHA, July 31 (Xinhua) — Sustained drought over the past four weeks has caused a water crisis for 1.2 million people in central China’s Hunan Province, local authorities said on Tuesday.

    Drought is plaguing 120,000 square km of land in the province, more than half of its total area, said sources with the provincial flood control and drought relief office.

    This has caused a water shortage for more than 1.2 million people and 700,000 heads of cattle in 14,000 villages, they said.

    In Guangrong village of Xinning County, the 600 residents have to trek six kilometers to fetch water from the neighboring village, which they carry on horseback.

    Hunan Province has received about 544 mm of precipitation since the rainy season started in June, 25 percent less than normal, the provincial flood control and drought relief office said.

    Since July 1, the average rainfall has measured only 20 to 50 percent of the normal volume.

    Lack of rain has left most of the province’s 2.04 million water storage facilities half-empty, and 859 reservoirs have dried up.

    The water crisis has cut the province’s daily power generating capacity by 20 million kilowatt-hours. The provincial capital Changsha has suspended power generation at all local hydropower stations to save water for drought relief.

    At least four cities including Changsha have started creating artificial rainfall in cloudy weather.

    Yet the provincial meteorological bureau has forecast a new heatwave before any substantial rain: the high temperature will hover around 37 to 40 degrees Celsius in many parts of the province in August.

    A month-long drought is also crippling the eastern Jiangxi Province, where 820,000 people and 460,000 heads of livestock have been suffering drinking water shortages.

    The drought has also affected 394,700 hectares of farmland, 31,300 hectares of which were ruined.

    The province has invested 100 million yuan (13.16 million U.S. dollars) in the disaster relief effort.