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nd the globe kept warm ocean air currents from reaching northern parts of china. without adequate warm, humid air, rain does not form, hence the drought. to make matters worse, excessive use of underground water in recent years in the northern provinces has drawn down the water table so less resources are available. q: since the drought did not form over a short period of time, why is it only now being covered in news reports? a: droughts might be the most easily overlooked natural disaster. to begin with, they are cumulative. the water problem is a longterm one rather than some incident that suddenly occurs. moreover, droughts do not carry clear warning signs like, say, a flood. most important, though, is that droughts do not result in immediate, alarming death tolls, or property damage. so, droughts are not often at the top of an editor39。s in box. q: how will this drought affect our lives? a: as of last friday, the drought had destroyed crops on about 10 million hectares of land. what does this mean? well, obviously, that means a reduction in the amount of grain for the m