Mountain fields look barren due to the drought in Pupeng township of Xiangyun county, Southwest China’s Yunnan province. Photo: Liang Yingfei/Caixin

Eucalyptus trees have been banned in the area as they require too much water to grow. Photo: Liang Yingfei/Caixin

A famer irrigates tobacco seedlings in Xiangyun county on May 16. Tobacco is a major crop in the area. Photo: Liang Yingfei/Caixin

Jiang Bin, a farmer who lives in Luming township of Xiangyun county, uses pipes to draw the water up from a well on May 19. Residents of the county have to share water supplies due to the drought. Photo: Liang Yingfei/Caixin

Jiang Bin irrigates plants on May 19. Due to poor harvest caused by the drought, the income from his 0.16-acre land is not enough to feed the 2 pigs and a donkey he raises. Photo: Liang Yingfei/Caixin

Jiang Bin scoops water from a puddle to irrigate a potato field. He needs to borrow water from neighbours to ensure that his crops are irrigated. Photo: Liang Yingfei/Caixin

A farmer fixes a pipe on planting crops in Pupeng township of Xiangyun county on May 16. Photo: Liang Yingfei/Caixin

A farmer uses plastic sheets to maintian the moisture level of the soil before planting tobacco seeds in a field in Xiangyun county on May 19. Photo: Liang Yingfei/Caixin

Plastic sheet residues, which farmers use to maintain moisture in the land, are blown away by the wind. The locals have problems dealing with those residues. Photo: Liang Yingfei/Caixin

A new reservioir is being built to conserve water in Pupeng on May 16. Photo: Liang Yingfei/Caixin

A man catches fish in the Pindianhai Reservoir in Xiangyun country on April 17. Much of the water of the reservoir has been pumped away for other projects. Photo: Liang Yingfei/Caixin

Residents catch fish in the nearly dry Pindianhai Reservoir in Xiangyun country on April 17. Photo: Liang Yingfei/Caixin