Northeast China province suffers drought

CHANGCHUN, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Northeast China's Jilin Province is suffering from a drought which has affected 1.36 million hectares of crops, local authorities said Wednesday.

The province has received 31.4 millimeters of precipitation since mid-April when spring plowing started, down 46 percent from average levels for the past more than 10 years.

The city of Songyuan is the worst-hit area. It has received only 3.8 mm of rainfall, down 90 percent from average levels.

Higher-than-average temperatures and windy weather worsened the drought conditions in central and western Jilin, said the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.

Amid a series of measures to relieve the drought, local residents have dug 3,272 wells and built and renovated 238 river dams, the office said.

Meanwhile, local authorities have dispatched 23 planes and fired 662 rockets in an attempt to seed clouds to increase precipitation. Enditem