Droughts raise water supply concerns (2)

Actions inefficient

Zheng Xiaoyun, a water resources researcher at Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences, said that four consecutive years of drought during spring and winter in Yunnan indicate that seasonal droughts could become the norm rather than the exception in the future.

However, he said government action currently being taken to deal with the water shortage remains short term and inefficient.

Even though the measures being taken have improved people's water supply, "the authorities are just not paying enough attention to the longer-term drought problems," he said.

Zheng added that the current drought will have far-reaching effects on the local community, including forcing more workers from rural areas to become migrant workers in other provinces, putting further strains on local authority finances.

"The continuous drought will continue to force the government to devote more resources to relief efforts, taking money away from other important areas, which will certainly affect the local development," he said, insisting the government should develop longer-term plans, even to the extent of creating special administrations which could manage all the drought-relief efforts.

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