Drought-hit Liaoning province in northeast China is expected to receive moderate to heavy rains, the provincial observatory said.

The long-anticipated rain would "obviously" relieve the two-month drought that led to a drinking water shortage for 792,000 people and 242,000 livestock in the province, said Yuan Zipeng, deputy director of the observatory. In order to increase the rainfall, the provincial bureau has prepared more than 1,200 shells and three aircraft to seed the clouds, Yuan said. A severe drought has hit northern China and affected 170 million mu (11.3 million hectares) of crops, according to the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.