BEIJING: China was struggling on Friday to get water to millions of people and save swathes of its wheat harvest, after raising its drought emergency to the highest level for the first time. The decision to go to emergency level one was taken on Thursday at a meeting of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, Xinhua news agency reported.
The increased alert level was made official at the same time as the government sent out specialists to all eight major drought-hit regions to help residents with relief supplies and technical aid. About 4.3 million people and 2.1 million head of livestock are short of water, the relief headquarters said in a statement, as parts of the nation experience their worst drought since the early 1950s.
In some areas, the wheat output could decline by up to 50% due to the drought, with the overall national output likely to fall by 5%, according to Beijing Orient Agribusiness Consultant firm. Vice Premier Hui Liangyu held a state conference on Thursday to coordinate and strengthen efforts to help the affected regions, calling for quick financial and material support, the China Daily reported.
The dry spell highlights one of China's main long-term worries, as water resources are being rapidly depleted due to the country's fast economic growth. The capital, Beijing, is particularly badly hit, with experts warning the city will soon have reached the limit beyond which there will not be enough water to go around.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Chinas_worst_drought_in_50_years/articleshow/4090466.cms
The increased alert level was made official at the same time as the government sent out specialists to all eight major drought-hit regions to help residents with relief supplies and technical aid. About 4.3 million people and 2.1 million head of livestock are short of water, the relief headquarters said in a statement, as parts of the nation experience their worst drought since the early 1950s.
In some areas, the wheat output could decline by up to 50% due to the drought, with the overall national output likely to fall by 5%, according to Beijing Orient Agribusiness Consultant firm. Vice Premier Hui Liangyu held a state conference on Thursday to coordinate and strengthen efforts to help the affected regions, calling for quick financial and material support, the China Daily reported.
The dry spell highlights one of China's main long-term worries, as water resources are being rapidly depleted due to the country's fast economic growth. The capital, Beijing, is particularly badly hit, with experts warning the city will soon have reached the limit beyond which there will not be enough water to go around.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Chinas_worst_drought_in_50_years/articleshow/4090466.cms
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