Anthony
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>(1) North China Faces Severe Drought and Heat-wave
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>[CND, 07/30/97] The north China plain is facing a severe drought and
>record-breaking hot weather, Japan Economic Newswire and Agence France
>Presse reported on Tuesday. In Shandong Province, the once-in-a-hundred-
>year drought left nearly 95% of the province's rivers dry. The
>precipitation is the lowest since 1916. More than 4.3 million people and
>nearly 1 million head of livestock in 5,900 villages face a shortage of
>drinking water, the Economic Daily reported. In Hebei Province surrounding
>Beijing, groundwater tables have dropped by 1.3 meters since the spring.
>There will be no harvest in about 200,000 hectares of farmland and the soil
>has become so dry that it is impossible to sow in another 200,000 hectares,
>Xinhua News Agency reported. Over five million hectares of farmland has
>been damaged in the two provinces alone.
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>In Xi'an city, more than 200 people, mostly elderly, died in a heat-wave
>last week, Tin Tin Daily News quoted local health officials as saying.
>The week-long heatwave is the most severe in the city since 1943, with an
>average daily temperature of 35-40 degrees centigrade (95-104 degrees
>Fahrenheit). (Weihe Guan, Guochen WAN)
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>(5) Earthquake Hits Jiangsu Province, No Casualties Reported
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>[CND, 07/28/97] A 5.1 earthquake hit Jiangsu province early last
>Sunday morning. The epicentre was 200 kilometres (125 miles) offshore. No
>casualties were reported, although the quake could be felt in several
>cities including Shanghai, AFP reported. (WU Fang, Guochen WAN)
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