CHINA> National
No end in sight to dry weather
By Wang Qian (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-02-07 09:42

A farmer walks on dry farmland in the Yiyang County of Luoyang, central China's Henan Province in this photo taken on February 1, 2009. [Xinhua]

In the affected regions about 46 percent of the total planting areas have been plagued, while almost 300,000 hectares of crop fields have been severely-hit.

Meteorological agencies warned farmers to irrigate their fields in a "scientific way" to prevent their wheat freezing in the early spring.

The central government has added 300 million yuan ($44 million) to 100 million yuan of emergency funding to help ease the drought.

Since December, more than 5.26 million people have participated in drought-relief work, with about 1.38 billion yuan allocated, solving water shortages for more than 500,000 people and 280,000 head of livestock, Xinhua reported.