Drought to continue in China

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Source: CCTV.com | 02-07-2009 15:48

China's Meteorological Administration says northern China's worst drought in half a century will continue until next month, although it will be eased slightly by rainfall forecasted over the next ten days.

A total of eight provinces including Hebei, Shanxi, Henan and Anhui are hardest-hit by the drought.

A total of eight provinces including Hebei, Shanxi, Henan and Anhui are hardest-hit by the drought. There, almost half of the winter wheat is under threat. There has been no rainfall or snowfall for more than one-hundred days in some regions of those provinces.

According to the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, the area of affected crops in China had expanded to 10.7 million hectares by Friday. Over 4.3 million people in China are facing drinking water shortages due to the drought.

The Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Water Resources have joined forces to tackle the drought. And about 220 million yuan has been allocated for relief work in the hardest-hit regions.

The National Climate Center says the rare drought that hit China in November is jointly caused by La Nina and abnormal global atmospheric circulation.

Editor:Liu Fang