This photo shows an exposed pond in Xuntun township of Wafangdian, Northeast China's Liaoning province. [Photo/Xinhua]

The hot spell has parched over 1.3 million hectares of farmland in the province, and 27,300 heads of large farm animals are short of water.

The provincial water resources department said local underground water levels and reservoir storage have continued to drop this year from their already low levels after little rainfall last year.