Photo Essay: When the Wells Run Dry

Southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region is facing its worst drought since 1961, with average rainfall dropping nearly 70% below normal. Drought conditions now affect 97.5% of the region, and nearly 69% are experiencing extreme drought. This has resulted in dried rivers, shrinking reservoirs, and failing wells, significantly impacting agriculture and rural life in the area [para. 4].

Xie Jinduo, who leads a well-drilling team established in 2019, has witnessed rising demand for his services as the drought intensifies. In April, his team received triple the usual number of drilling requests compared to previous years, demonstrating the urgency of water scarcity among local farmers [para. 5]. Despite having five years of experience, Xie finds that traditional well-drilling locations no longer yield water as they did before. Where water was once accessible at shallow depths, drilling now often exceeds 100 meters without guarantee of success [para. 6].

Earlier this year, Xie’s team was called to Wuming district in Nanning, Guangxi’s capital, where villagers were desperate as their old wells dried up. Although demand for new wells rose and farmers were prepared to pay high prices for successful work—especially as their export-bound orange crops needed irrigation—Xie still faced frequent failures. Well drillers typically charge either by drilling depth (150-170 yuan per meter) or on a 'guaranteed' basis, where they only get paid upon finding water. The latter is riskier but more rewarding, as expensive pipe remains in the ground even when wells dry up [para. 7][para. 8][para. 9][para. 10].

Xie recounted one such failed project in Wuming, where a 60-meter well yielded only muddy water, resulting in a personal loss of 5,000–6,000 yuan. This illustrates the financial risks well drillers face when drought increases both operational costs and the likelihood of unsuccessful drilling [para. 11]. Drought has also affected Xie’s hometown, Yan’an, where fields rely entirely on rainfall due to the lack of irrigation infrastructure. Crops like sugarcane and watermelon are now stunted or unsellable, reinforcing Xie’s view that “water is wealth”—though he wryly notes that only "those with wealth can get water" during times like these [para. 12][para. 13].

Some large ranches attempt drastic and costly interventions, such as laying pipelines to distant rivers—a measure that can cost up to 200,000 yuan—to save their livestock. In contrast, small-scale farmers must resort to hauling tap water by hand, requiring multiple trips each day just to keep fields alive. With the prolonged drought, tap water demand has surged and village water pressure has dropped, while even once-reliable ponds have dried up [para. 14][para. 15][para. 16].

Adapting to these dire circumstances, Xie now surveys each job site more carefully and has shifted to charging by the meter rather than relying on higher-risk guaranteed jobs [para. 17]. Demand for well-drilling has expanded beyond large farms, and even small acre growers are seeking services. Occasionally, efforts are rewarded—such as when Xie’s team struck a strong flow for an orange grove owner, bringing relief and celebration to the local community [para. 18].

Despite such successes, many farmers are giving up hope. In towns like Shika, some growers have abandoned spring planting altogether, forced to seek alternative work as their crops fail for the first time [para. 19].