Hebei drought drags on

　　THE severe drought in North China’s Hebei Province is showing no signs of breaking.According to the local water conservation department, about 1.33 million hectares of farmland have been affected and 810,000 people are still short of drinking water.The province has received just two-thirds of its normal rainfall since June, with the July figure below half. Some cities in the north of the province are severely affected.In the city of Chengde, many rural reservoirs had dried up and some farmers had to go to other villages to fetch drinking water, said Lan Delong, deputy head of the local water conservation bureau.The drought had killed about 310,000 trees in 400 hectares of forest near the city of Tangshan, sources disclosed.The province is now taking steps to combat the drought by digging new wells, sending water tankers to residents in affected areas and trying to produce artificial rain. (Xinhua)