ThedroughtinnorthChinaisgettingworse.

officialschangedthewarningcolorfrombluetoyellowwhichalarmsadvancementindroughtseverity.

TheofficeoffloodcontrolanddroughtreliefheadquarterssaidShanxihadonlyreceived20.4millimetersofrainsinceOctober2008.Thesamefourmonthperiodin2007had49.7mmofrainwhichis59percentmore.

Atotalof2.07millionhectaresoffarmlandacrosstheparchedprovincehavebeenaffectedbythedrought,including544,000hectaresofcrops,accordingtotheoffice.

Thelocalweatherobservatorypredictsnomajorprecipitationinthenearfuture.

Becausethedroughtwarningisnowyellow,theprovincialgovernmentisallocating10millionyuan(1.47millionU.S.dollars)tosubsidizeoperationstofightthedrought.

Localswerealsotoldtopreservethesafetyofdrinkingwaterforhumansandlivestock.

中国北方旱情日益严峻

官方已经把旱情预警级别从蓝色提升到了黄色。

防汛抗旱指挥部的官员说，自去年10月份以来，山西省的降水量只有20.4毫米，而07年同期该省降水量为49.7毫米，同比下降59%。

以山西省为例，受灾农田总面积为207万公顷其中包括长有农作物的受灾面积54万公顷。

当地气象部门预计短期内不会有明显的降水。

鉴于目前的旱情，山西省政府已调拨1000万元专项资金用于抗旱。并要求全力保障人畜的饮水安全。