The severe drought in southwest China has worsened over the past two weeks due to continued low rainfall levels, according to Xinhua. Some 18.05m people and 10.17m livestock are short of drinking water and 6.44m hectares of arable land have been affected, said the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

A falling water table and an increasingly busy timetable have led to the cracks appearing in the only runway of Kunming airport in Yunnan province. The runway is now closed for repairs every day from midnight to 7:30am until at least some time in April.

However, the situation in Chongqing appears to have improved, according to a municipal government website. Falling temperatures and recent rainfall have eased severe drought condition in most areas of the municipality.