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China Rushes Relief Funds to Drought-hit Areas
The Chinese government decided Wednesday to divert 400 million yuan (about 50 million U.S. dollars) worth of budgetary funds to build emergency water supply projects in the drought-plagued areas in northern China.
According to a release from the State Development Planning Commission (SDPC), the money will be used to sink wells, build water diversion projects, store rain water and tap into the bottom line of reservoirs in a bid to secure drinking water for local residents and livestock in northwest, northeast and north China.
The money will be used to spray drought-resistant liquids on crops in a move to save enough grain to feed local farmers. It will also be used to buy equipment for water transport and storage, pumps and fuels.
The SDPC said that the relief funds are allocated specifically for matters of "extreme urgency" facing farmers in the drought-hit areas.
The most severe drought in the decade has turned top soil in many areas in northern China into a 7- to 20-centimeter-thick layer of dust, causing a shortage of drinking water for 16.2 million people and 13.7 million livestock.
By June 13, 14.4 million hectares of crops had been destroyed by drought, and crops in three million hectares of dry field and 333,000 hectares of rice paddies have been affected.
The ongoing drought since last winter has given rise to locust plagues in northern China. More than 3.3 million hectares of crops have been attacked by locusts.
The drought was most severe in Shanxi, Hebei and Inner Mongolia in north China and Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia in northwest China. The drought has drawn the attention of the Chinese government. President Jiang Zemin visited Ningxia and Gansu to inspect the most affected areas from June 14-19.
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