Ongoing drought across southern, central and eastern China has left over a million people without direct access to fresh drinking water. State media says water levels in rivers have sunk to record lows.

The water level of the Xiangjiang River in Hunan Province has gone down dramatically, causing havoc for water traffic.

Some provinces have received less than half their usual volume of rain from August to October.

In Hunan Province’s capital of Changsha, water control authorities fear drought will continue if dry weather does not abate.

[Liang Wensheng, Director, Changsha Hydro Station]:
"If more rain doesn't come, and the water level of the Dongting Lake keeps getting lower, the drought will remain serious.”

Drought also threatens to damage tens of thousands of acres of cropland.

Local authorities across the south have been trying to kick-start stalled river traffic and irrigate parched crops by transferring water from local reservoirs. But, many regional lakes and reservoirs have dried up.

The water flow has been reduced to a trickle on stretches of the Liuliang River in Hunan Province.

Industrial and human waste usually flushed along by the strong current has become concentrated in the shallow waters, causing stinking bogs in some areas.

A local farmer says his crops are already affected.

"Now the vegetables planted by the river taste bitter."

Since the 1990s drought has become more frequent in the country.