Beijing fights drought as wheat fears rise

China has resorted to artificial rainmaking and is diverting water from its two largest rivers to alleviate a drought the government is calling the worst in half a century.

More than 4.4m people and 2.2m cattle face shortages of drinking water across at least eight provinces which contain about half the country’s wheat growing areas, the ministry of water resources said on Sunday.

Weather-control officials across the country fired artillery shells and rockets filled with rainmaking chemicals over the weekend while military aircraft were used to seed clouds across northern and central provinces.

The same technology was used to create rain and to clear pollution over Beijing in the weeks preceding last summer’s Olympics.

Water from the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers is being diverted for farm irrigation to battle the drought which began in November and threatens the livelihood of 13.5m people, state media reported.

The ministry of finance said it would accelerate the disbursement of Rmb86.7bn ($12.7bn, €9.8bn, £8.6bn) of annual subsidies for farmers to ensure grain production and support rural incomes.

The government declared a national drought emergency late last week.

Hu Jintao, the president, and Wen Jiabao, the prime minister, ordered a full mobilisation of state resources to ensure a good summer harvest.

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