China allocates funds for natural disaster relief

BEIJING -- China's central budget has allocated 208 million yuan (about $30.32 million) to seven provincial-level regions to help them cope with droughts or floods, the Ministry of Finance said Wednesday.

Out of the total funds, 150 million yuan will be used for relieving droughts in five provinces including Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Yunnan and Shaanxi.

The remaining 58 million yuan will be channeled to Chongqing municipality and Fujian province to combat floods.

China has been facing a tough situation in combating droughts and floods, as the northeast, southwest and northwest parts of the country reported droughts at various levels since the beginning of this year, while the south experienced several rounds of heavy rains.

The ministry urged local government departments to intensify management of the central relief fund and use the money more efficiently.