El Nino leaves NE China thirsty

SHENYANG - More than 230,000 people have been left short of drinking water after a severe drought caused by El Nino gripped the northeastern province of Liaoning, local authorities said on Wednesday.

Liaoning has seen high temperatures and dry conditions since the start of July, with the lowest rainfall since records began in 1951, said the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.

The hot spell has parched over 1.3 million hectares of farmland in the province, and 27,300 heads of large farm animals are short of water.

The provincial water resources department said local underground water levels and reservoir storage have continued to drop this year from their already low levels after little rainfall last year.

The province has earmarked 135 million yuan (21.7 million US dollars) and mobilized 958,000 people to fight the drought, temporarily ensuring water supply for 115,900 residents, according to the headquarters.

El Nino is a climactic phenomenon that results from a warming of the ocean west of Peru. It triggers atmospheric changes that can mean very hot weather in Asia, rain in South America and cooler summer in North America.