About 62,300 residents in Chenzhou city of central China's Hunan Province are faced with a potable water shortage in the face of a continuing drought.

A source from the city's Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said little rainfall had fallen since late June, affecting 30,667 hectares of farmland, 62,300 residents and 92,000 head of livestock.

Meanwhile, Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province was also hit by severe drought and artificial rainfall is now being generated in a bid to relieve the drought.

The city of Changsha, near China's flood-prone Yangtze River, normally received a great amount of rainfall during the flood season but this year saw a rare drought. The local drought relief headquarters has called for the use of water in reservoirs to ease the shortage.

(Xinhua News Agency July 16, 2003)