China fights against rare drought

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Source: CCTV.com | 02-10-2009 13:25

A senior water resources official has said parched farmlands in areas of China hard hit by drought are being irrigated more frequently. The increased irrigation and rain have helped to ease the worst drought in northern China for half a century. But at a press conference in Beijing on Tuesday, Vice Minister of Water Resources, E Jingping, also said challenges remain, and China will continue its efforts to combat the extreme dry conditions.

Workers of a power company help a farmer to irrigate the  field in Wuhe County, east China's Anhui Province, Feb. 5,  2009.(Xinhua/Yan Ruipeng)

The vice minister of water resources brought good news for the drought-stricken areas.

Increased irrigation and rainfall over the past three days has brought down the drought land by more than 24 million mu, or 1.6 million hectares.

And the number of people suffering drinking water shortages has also been reduced by 960-thousand.

This rare drought that began last November was caused by a lack of rainfall and temperatures higher than that of the same period in previous years.