Drought affects 7.3 mln China farmland hectares

BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhua) -- China's drought relief authority said on Tuesday that the drought parching the country's central and western regions has affected 7.3 million hectares of farmland.

As of Tuesday, 3.5 million hectares of cropland in Yunnan, Gansu, Henan, Sichuan and Hubei were suffering drought conditions, according to a statement issued by the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

The drought has also left 6.61 million people and 4.24 million heads of livestock in the above regions short of drinking water, the statement said.

It added that the drought relief authority has arranged subsidies for drought-hit areas and allocated human and material resources to minimize the extreme weather's effects on the farming industry and people's live.

So far, more than 5.9 million people in drought-affected areas have had access to drinking water, according to the statement.

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