According to the Yunnan Provincial Department of Water Resources, in 2023 Yunnan experienced the most severe meteorological drought since meteorological records began in 1961. The province's average annual precipitation was 887 mm, 200 mm less than the same period in previous years. Since the beginning of this year, Yunnan has continued to experience a winter-spring drought, with rainfall nearly 20% below the same period in normal years, and the province's river inflow 13% less than the multi-year average for the same period. The drought has continued to worsen and deepen, and many places have activated emergency responses.

Severe meteorological drought hits; reservoir and pond storage drops markedly

CCTV reporter Liu Wenjie: This is Huangcaoping Reservoir in Malong District, Qujing City. In 2022, the highest water storage line of this reservoir was where I am standing now; at that time, the total reservoir capacity of the entire reservoir area was 6.9 million cubic meters. In 2023, affected by the sustained drought, the reservoir's water storage dropped sharply, and to date it is only 1 million cubic meters.

Huangcaoping Reservoir is the only medium-sized reservoir in Malong District, Qujing City, and also the largest local reservoir. It undertakes the water supply task for more than 50,000 people in the main urban area. However, since November 2023, the reservoir's water storage has remained continuously at the dead storage level of 1 million cubic meters; that is, this volume of water can no longer be supplied outward through the reservoir. The local authorities have temporarily resolved the urban water supply dilemma by diverting water from other reservoirs.

Gao Langjian, Director of the Malong District Water Affairs Bureau, Qujing City: In 2023, rainfall in Malong District was below normal and unevenly distributed in time and space. The district's average rainfall was 527 mm, 310 mm less than the same period last year. As of now, the district's 490 reservoirs and ponds have accumulated 31 million cubic meters of water, 50% less than in previous years. If the drought continues, some rural areas may face water supply tensions in the next stage.

At present, the areas affected by the drought already involve 11 prefectures and cities, including Kunming, Qujing, and Zhaotong, and 74 counties (cities and districts). At Ganhaizi Reservoir in Luliang County, Qujing City, the reporter saw that the entire reservoir area has dried up and cracked, a situation that has already appeared at multiple local reservoirs.

Xie Nenghong, head of the water affairs group of Zhaokua Town, Luliang County: We are doing a good job in water-saving publicity, adopting scientific measures, and implementing intermittent water supply by time periods.

In 2023, the annual precipitation in Luliang County was 35% less than the multi-year average. In addition, since 2024, precipitation in most parts of the county has continued to be below normal. The county's production and domestic water supply situation is very severe, and a cumulative 45,100 people have been affected by the drought.

According to forecasts by the meteorological department, from March to May 2024, most areas of Yunnan Province will have less rainfall and higher temperatures, and the drought is expected to be relatively severe in most parts of the province in spring. At present, the province's weather is sunny, hot, and rainless, water consumption continues to climb, evaporation is increasing, and reservoir and pond storage has dropped markedly. With the sharp increase in agricultural production water use in spring, the contradiction between urban and rural domestic and production water use is gradually intensifying.

Yunnan: Responding to the drought by building storage tanks to ensure water supply

In the face of the severe meteorological drought, earlier this month the Yunnan Provincial Department of Water Resources issued a water-saving initiative, and localities have also taken measures based on meteorological assessment data to fight the drought and ensure water supply.

At the construction site of the emergency drought-relief project diverting water from Xialuogui to the urban area in Malong District, Qujing City, workers are carrying out concrete pouring. This site is adjacent to a river; during the wet season, the daily water volume here can reach 20,000 cubic meters. The project currently under way is to build a 30,000-cubic-meter storage tank here, and after water is pumped up through a pumping station, it will be connected to the main urban water supply network.

Gao Langjian, Director of the Malong District Water Affairs Bureau, Qujing City, Yunnan Province: To ease urban production and domestic water use, on January 10 we implemented the project diverting water from Xialuogui to the urban area. At present, 5 kilometers of pipeline have been laid, and the entire line is planned to be completed by the end of March. After the entire line is connected, the production and domestic water use of the entire urban area of Malong will be resolved.

Gao Langjian told the reporter that although the urban water use problem has been resolved, as the drought continues to have an impact, more than 50,000 people in some remote mountainous rural areas are expected to face drinking water difficulties.

Gao Langjian, Director of the Malong District Water Affairs Bureau, Qujing City, Yunnan Province: We have formulated a water supply guarantee plan with one case per village, and conduct regular dynamic inspections of rural drinking water safety every week, resolving problems promptly when found. Up to now, by adopting engineering measures and delivering water by truck, we have resolved the tense water supply situation for more than 10,000 people in 12 village groups.

Many places in Yunnan prepare drought-relief and water supply guarantee plans in advance

In just over half a month, Qujing, Yunnan will enter the spring farming season, and agricultural water use will increase substantially. For this reason, under the advocacy of water affairs and agriculture departments, some large agricultural water users have already responded in advance.

At a blueberry planting base, the reporter saw that to solve the water use problem, the enterprise has changed its previous sprinkler irrigation model to drip irrigation.

Ruan Guilin, a staff member at a planting base in Malong District, Qujing City, Yunnan Province: This is our drip irrigation system. At present, normal water demand is about 150 liters per mu. If sprinkler irrigation were used, it would be more than three times that.

In Longkong Group, Yuanjiang County, Yuxi City, where the drought is severe, the water stored at the village's only water source point cannot meet the needs of the whole village. The local drought-relief emergency water delivery trucks organized by the local authorities have been operating here for nearly a month.

Li Juyan, a villager of Longkong Group, Wadie Township, Yuanjiang County, Yuxi City, Yunnan Province: Water is delivered directly to the village, so we do not have to carry water ourselves. It saves a lot of time and labor, and we can free up time to do a lot of farm work.

Bai Shunwen, captain of the full-time fire brigade of Wadie Township, Yuanjiang County, Yuxi City, Yunnan Province: During the Spring Festival, we delivered water to Feixue and Longkong villages one after another, and recently we have been doing the same. For some elderly people, disabled people, and those with limited mobility, we still deliver water to their homes to meet their water needs.

To respond to the severe drought, the Yunnan Provincial Department of Water Resources has now dispatched multiple working groups to provide on-site guidance in areas severely affected by the drought. The province, districts, cities, and counties have established special task forces for drought relief and water supply guarantee at three levels and compiled drought-relief and water supply guarantee plans. The Yunnan provincial government has invested 884 million yuan to implement 10 drought-resistance capacity improvement projects. On the basis of guiding localities to carry out emergency groundwater extraction, it has comprehensively investigated the distribution of mountain springs, mountain streams, and brooks, and, in light of regional water demand, adopted methods such as storage, diversion, and pumping to resolve water use problems caused by drought in various places. It is comprehensively accelerating the advancement of 145 drought-relief emergency water supply projects to ensure the safety of urban and rural water supply and the demand for seasonal agricultural irrigation water.