The long-standing summer drought in the northeast Chinese province of Liaoning has been partially eased by heavy rains in the past three days.

Liaoning Provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said it had rained heavily across the province since Monday with an average precipitation of 58.9 mm. from Monday to Wednesday.

The area of crops, primarily maize and rice, affected by drought had been reduced from 2.15 million hectares to 270,867 hectares.

The number of residents suffering shortages of drinkable water had fallen from 1.7 million at the end of June to 746,000 in the province.

A concentrated torrential rains struck Huanren, a mountainous county in the northeastern part of Liaoning. And in Pulebao Township, 205 mm of rainfall was monitored between Monday and Wednesday, causing Daya River, a tributary of Hunjiang River to swell to a dangerous level.

Torrential rains also undermined the foundations of 280 homes, forcing the evacuation of 450 people, Huanren flood control and drought relief officials said.

Workers from Huanren County Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters were overseeing efforts to combat flooding.

Liaoning Provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters asked local flood control departments to increase personnel on duty and be alert for potential flooding.
   
Water resources departments have stepped up monitoring of reservoirs.
   
Liaoning has been suffering its worst drought since records began in 1951, according to the local meteorological bureau. It has affected 1.27 million people, 473,800 cattle and more than 1.5 million hectares of cropland.

Almost all of the province's 14 cities had been affected, though the situation was more serious in northwestern and central-southern areas where 88 small and medium-sized reservoirs have dried up, the provincial flood prevention and drought control headquarters said.

(Xinhua News Agency July 6, 2007)