Each morning for the past two months, Lintao resident Li Zhenguo wakes up early and carries containers to the gate of his condominium complex to collect water from the government. Much of this city of nearly 200,000 people ran out of groundwater in February. Experts consider Lintao a warning sign for the rest of northern China, where 500 million people live in what’s known as “water scarce” regions. Rob Schmitz/Marketplace.