Chinese premier urges greater effort to combat drought, ensure harvests

BEIJING, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- As severe drought ravages China's northern areas and begins to extend southward, Chinese Premier WenJiabao has called for greater efforts to deal with the situation and ensure good harvests.

Chinese Premier WenJiabao has called for greater efforts to deal with the situation and ensure good harvests.

During an inspection tour in the country's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Wen urged local governments to give anti-drought measures top priority and make concrete efforts to ensure agricultural production.

Wen said long-lingering drought in major agricultural regions greatly harmed production, so governments should make all out efforts to utilize irrigation facilities and reduce losses.

Efforts should also be made to enhance water resource management, and to provide anti-drought technologies to farmers, Wen said.

Wen urged local governments to ensure water supplies to people and livestock in drought-hit areas, and channel funds to farmers affected by drought, to ensure their livelihoods.