Severe water shortages are affecting about 2 million people and one million head of large domestic animals in drought-hit Shandong Province in east China.

According to official statistics, about 2.7 million ha (6.7 million acres) of farmland in the province have been affected by the drought.

In the rural areas of Jinan, the provincial capital, Tai'an, Laiwu and some other cities, farmers are obligated to buy water for cooking and drinking from other areas.

The rural areas of Jining, Liaocheng, Dezhou, Heze, Jinan and Bingzhou are the hardest hit, accounting for approximately 60 percent of the total area affected by drought in the province.

Experts say exceptionally low seasonal rainfall is responsible for the drought.

The rainfall recorded in the province from Jun. 1 to Aug. 19 is only 184 mm, about half of the normal amount.

(Xinhua News Agency August 26, 2002)