China strives to secure water supply in drought-hit irrigation areas

BEIJING -- The Ministry of Water Resources said on Sunday it had concerted efforts to secure water supply in around 500 large and medium-sized irrigation areas in drought-affected regions of southwestern China.

Since this spring, droughts have hit the Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, producing areas of wheat and corns, according to Zhang Xiang, a researcher with the ministry.

Zhang highlighted that Yunnan's precipitation level since the spring is 42.3 percent less than usual, with the drought projected to persist.

To date, a total of 160 million cubic meters of water have been delivered to the drought-affected regions in Sichuan and Yunnan, irrigating over 3.5 million mu (about 230,000 hectares) of farmlands.

Meanwhile, China has earmarked 174 million yuan (about $24.49 million) for bolstering drought relief and ensuring sufficient water supply.