Eastern China province hit by drought

BEIJING, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- China's eastern Shandong province is experiencing its worst drought in 50 years, suffering shortages of drinking water and loss of crops, officials said.

Yin Changwen, spokesman of the Shandong Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, said since Sept. 23 the province has received just 0.35 of an inch of rain, 86 percent less than the average of previous years, Xinhua reported Wednesday.

About 240,000 people living in the province are short of drinking water and about 4.5 million acres of cropland is suffering from drought, authorities said.

No rain or snow is forecast for the immediate future, they said.

Underground water has been tapped by the provincial government, which has also transported water to drought-hit areas, Yin said.

Lingering droughts have plagued six provinces in China's north and east this year, Xinhua said.