Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu called for greater efforts to fight floods and droughts Monday at a meeting held by the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

Hui said governments at all levels should place priority on ensuring people's safety and taking care of people in disaster-hit regions.

Local governments were urged to take measures to combat droughts and floods in major grain production bases and to step up monitoring of freak weather.

A severe drought has affected north China since late July as a result of insufficient rainfall and continued high temperatures, while heavy rains and typhoons have battered some other parts of the country.

(Xinhua News Agency August 25, 2009)