Operation Brings Rain to Dry AreasChina has successfully brought rain to north of the Yangtze River, one of the areas hardest hit by this spring's drought by seeding clouds, China Daily quoted a source with the China Meteorological Administration as saying. By Wednesday, a considerable amount of rainfall, ranging from 15 to 40 millimeters, was reported in more than 10 provinces across North, East and Central China, helping ease the severe drought in parts of Henan, Shandong and Gansu provinces. However, the rain did little to the driest areas in North and Northwest China.The seeding operation, conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday, reportedly was one of the largest successfully conducted over a large area. Seeding clouds to produce rain has been widely used in China to help drought-stricken areas. In 1997, approximately 200 million yuan (24 million U.S. dollars) were budgeted for such operations. The drought is the main threat to China's summer harvest, which is expected to yield 25 per cent of the nation's grain output this year. |
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