More than 30,000 people in China's southern province of Hainan are facing water shortages as the drought affecting the island is expected to last until May, local authorities said Tuesday.

The province's reservoirs are down by 55 percent and some have dried up.

About 128,000 hectares of crops has been affected.

Yang Yunxian, director of the provincial drought control office, said the drought will likely continue through February and March with relief hopefully coming in May when the rain season starts.

Rainfall in southwest areas of the province last year was about 30 percent less than average.

The Hainan provincial government has earmarked six million yuan (US$750,000) for drought relief with 600,000 yuan (US$75,000) going to the worst-hit Ledong County.

Local governments are helping people dig deeper wells for drinking water and calling farmers to change to more drought-resistant crops.

(Xinhua News Agency January 31, 2007)