The mud flats in the Jinxian section of desiccated Poyang Lake resemble tree branches on Monday. The water level in Poyang, China's largest freshwater lake, continues to drop sharply because of a spate of high temperature days with little to no rain in the area.

Villagers line up with buckets to get water on Tuesday in Dongfeng, a village in Zhejiang province. Dongfeng, located in a mountainous area, has a water shortage because of a recent drought. See more, page 5