China’s Economic Powerhouse of Guangdong Hit by Severe Drought

(Bloomberg) -- China’s Guangdong province is grappling with a drought that has prompted the central government to investigate and cities to urge people to conserve water.

Residents of Guangzhou -- capital of the largest Chinese province by gross domestic product -- should use less water and store supplies, city officials said in a statement Friday.

The Dong River, which supplies nearly a third of the city’s water, was suffering its worst drought since 1963, they added. The river, a tributary of the Pearl River, is also a major source of drinking water for Hong Kong, though there is no sign the former British colony is short on supplies.

Shenzhen -- home to Huawei Technologies Co., Tencent Holdings Ltd. and automaker BYD Co. -- also urged residents to cut water use last week, Caixin Global reported.

The central government sent a team to Guangdong Nov. 29-Dec. 2 to look into the matter and told officials in the manufacturing hub to secure water supplies for their residents and those in Hong Kong and Macau, the Guangdong Water Resources Department said on Dec. 7.

The province has limited local hydro-power generation after water levels at reservoirs fell one-quarter from previous years, according to a report posted on the department’s  website on Nov. 8.

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