BEIJING, June 17 (Xinhua) -- China has allocated 60 million yuan (about 8.47 million U.S. dollars) in disaster relief funds for the southwestern Yunnan Province that was hit by droughts, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said on Wednesday.

The funds, jointly allocated by the MOF and the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM), will mainly be used to aid people affected by droughts, which have occurred in the province since spring, due to little rainfall.

The MEM has been keeping a close eye on Yunnan's disaster relief work to ensure that drought-stricken people have access to water, while earmarking 100 million yuan in funds for flood control and drought relief along with the MOF.

On May 18, the China National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the MEM activated a level-IV emergency response, the lowest in the country's four-tier emergency response system, for droughts in the province. They also sent a working team to assist with the disaster response.