A former lake bed near Dongsheng in northern China has completely dried up due to the ongoing severe drought.
China is in the middle of the worst drought in 50 years. Precipitation totals have fallen significantly across most of China's northern provinces. 60% of China's 669 major cities face water shortages, of these 110 face serious water shortages. Climate change modelling shows that Northern China is going to get significantly drier leading to crop failure and desertification which is already happening in many places. Inner Mongolia has been particularly badly hit with ever drier conditions and creeping desertification. Near Dongsheng an area known as Hong Hai Zai used to be a large lake. Its waters used to harbour many fish, caught and sold at market by the locals. It finally dried up completely in 1999, leaving a baked landscape on which a few hardy plants now grow. Here a pair of shoes lie abandoned amongst the left over saline deposits on the former lake bed
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Photo credit: © Ashley Cooper pics / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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