China has raised its drought emergency to the highest level for the first time as a dry spell spreads, leaving millions with little or no water and threatening wheat supplies, state media said Friday.
The decision to go to emergency level one was taken Thursday at meeting of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, Xinhua news agency reported.
About 43 percent of the country's winter wheat supplies are at risk, after some areas have seen no rain for 100 days or more, according to state media.
The capital, Beijing, is particularly badly hit, with experts warning the city, home to 17 million people, will soon have reached the limit beyond which there will not be enough water to go around.
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China, the world’s largest wheat producer, said severe drought since November has affected nearly 43 percent of the winter wheat crop and is spreading.
Reduced soil moisture threatened about 141 million mu (9.4 million hectares) of crops in provinces including Henan, Anhui and Shaanxi, the Ministry of Agriculture said on its Web site late yesterday, citing a survey completed by Feb. 2.
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<i>And so it begins.</i>