AUTHORITIES of East China’s Shandong Province have earmarked an emergency 15 million yuan (US$1.807 million) in its ongoing fight against the worst drought in the region for over half a century.

　　More than one billion yuan has already been appropriated as anti-drought funds for the province.

　　The drought this spring and summer has caused heavy losses for the province.

　　The persistent drought has also caused losses to the province’s industrial sectors. Some enterprises have had to slash production and China’s largest printing and dyeing facility has been forced to shut down due to the water shortage.

　　Shandong will continue to suffer from the drought, experts predict, as the rainy season has passed and water storage is low in provincial water control projects.

　　Worse still, the only outside water source for the province _ the Xiaolangdi Reservoir on the Yellow River _ now has only l40 million cubic meters of water.

　　(Xinhua)