Anchor: Following the recent heavy snows and icy rain in parts of southern China, a severe drought is causing much trouble in the northern area. Meteorologists say levels of precipitation in the north will remain low in March and April. CRI reporter Wu Peng has more.

Reporter: The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters say the severe drought has affected more than 15 million hectares of arable land in northern China. This is 2.9 million hectares more than what was affected during the same period last year.

The drought has also affected more than 5 million heads of livestock and left many people without sufficient drinking water in these areas.

Zhang Zhitong is with the relief headquarters.

"Precipitation remains low and the water volume of some reservoirs remains low. The situation is very severe."

He says his office is taking measures to deal with the situation.

"We are trying to ensure a potable water supply for people through water diversion. The headquarters and the Ministry of Finance will allocate drought-relief funds to support the severe drought-hit provinces and fight the water shortage."

According to the headquarters, northeastern Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces and eastern Inner Mongolia account for about 60 percent of the drought-hit area.

In northern Hebei province, potable water in provincial reservoirs amounts to 1.9 billion cubic meters, less than a third of the regular capacity.

The headquarters say precipitation in northern China was down by 70 percent this winter. It warns that the drought could worsen, because forecasts show precipitation will remain low.

Wu Peng, CRI news