CRI听力：China On High Alert for Worst Drought in 50 Years

Anchor: China has declared the highest level of emergency in response to the worst drought to hit northern China in half a century.

Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao have called for all-out effort to combat the severe drought in the country's vast wheat-growing area to ensure a good summer harvest.

CRI's Lin Lin has more.

According to the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, more than 10 million hectares of crops are being affected so far due to rare drought which began in November of last year. It has threatened 9.5 million hectares of winter wheat, with about 3 million hectares seriously affected.

Zhang Peiqun is a forecaster with the National Climate Center.

"The drought has affected the crops severely on large sections of the country's northern half. Rainfall in most parts of north and central China was 50 to 80 percent less than normal."

The central government on Thursday decided to earmark another 300 million yuan or 44 million U.S. dollars for a drought relief fund in addition to 100 million yuan already allocated. The fund will be used to buy agricultural machinery and other production materials.

The Ministry of Agriculture has already sent four groups, totalling 16 work teams, to drought-stricken areas to survey the situation. It also sent 20 expert teams to hard-hit areas to offer technical guidance.

Also water gates of Yellow river have been already opened to help irrigation in nearby provinces.
Meanwhile relevant departments in local regions have taken various measures to enhance farmland management, mobilize human resources, ensure technology service and enlarge irrigation areas.

In Jiangsu and Henan Province, where farmers have not seen rainfall for more than a hundred days, local governments have been channeling water from the nearby water resources.
Experts from the agricultural department worked together with farmers to ensure the irrigation in most farmland.

Here is a local farmer in Jiangsu province.

"It hasn't rained for several months and the wheat in our farmland is dying. Fortunately we have the water to irrigate now."

In Anhui Province, where losses have reached about 230 million dollars, the provincial government allocated 1.5 million dollars from its reserves for drought relief and seedling protection, 2 million dollars in special subsidies for equipment and another 44 million yuan for farmers to buy relief materials.

Besides financial subsidies, Zhou Shuxue, expert from the local meteorological bureau, has announced that they are ready to operate artificial rain in the next few days.

"It's has been observed that the weather condition on February 7th will be favourable. And we have fully prepared to operate the human-induced rainfall."

Meteorological experts forecast that the drought may continue in March. As there are some 4.3 million people and more than 2 million livestock that are in need of proper drinking water due to the drought, the government has promised to ensure supplies of drinking water in drought-stricken areas.

E Jingping is head of the State Flood control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

"We will make sure drinking water for people and livestock is our top priority while allocating water resources stored by current water projects."(www.hxen.net)

Analysts predict that although the output of grain may decrease due to the drought, with sufficient stockpile, grain supply this year will meet the demand from the market, and there is no need for people to worry about supply shortage.

LL, CRI news.