China’s southern megacities warn of water shortages during drought in the East River | WSAU News / Talk 550 AM · 99.9 FM

SHENZHEN, China (Reuters) – China’s southern major cities Guangzhou and Shenzhen have warned of severe water shortages lasting until next spring after the East River, a tributary of the Pearl River Jiang, Guangdong Province, continues to be affected by the most severe drought in decades.

Authorities in both cities are asking residents to reduce water consumption, with rainfall from January to October this year down a quarter of the average over the past decade, according to the Guangzhou government.

Inflows into the East River basin, the main source of water for both cities, will remain at around 50-60% of normal levels next spring, according to an official announcement Monday.

Guangzhou’s water supply company is taking emergency measures to deal with saline tides, where the water supply is increasingly salty due to lack of fresh water, it said on Wednesday.

Hong Kong also imports most of its water from the East River.

(Reporting by David Kirton; editing by Jane Wardell)