According to anti-drought authorities, more than 18 million people and 10 million heads of livestock are suffering because of the severe drought in Southwest China.

In Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan provinces, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Chongqing Municipality, nearly 6.5 million hectares of farm land are hit by the disaster, 85 per cent of the total drought-affected area. The economic losses exceed 23 billion yuan. No rain has been seen in most of these areas, and the drought is still worsening.

Pupils collect water distributed by the local government at a school in  the drought-hit Luoping County of Qujing, Yunnan province March 22, 2010.  A severe drought across a large swathe of southwest China is now affecting  more than 50 million people, and forecasters see no signs of it abating in  the short term, state media said.