PYONGYANG, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Wednesday a severe drought has been affecting the country, in particular the southwest coast provinces, for two months, while a nationwide campaign for preventing drought damage is being organized by government.
The Korean Central News Agency said a long spell of drought has lingered on in the southwestern coastal areas of the DPRK since April, withering crops in myriad hectares across the mentioned areas.
"Granaries in North and South Hwanghae provinces have been heavily affected by the drought," it said.
Drought also dried up 30 percent of the reservoirs across the country. Soldiers, students, children have been mobilized to help farmers restore tens of thousands of wells and hundreds of reservoirs and dammed water pools.
In the capital, the Pyongyang city government is channeling big efforts into watering paddy and dry fields, as part of the nationwide campaign for preventing drought damage, said the news agency.
Cooperative farms in the city are pushing ahead with the weeding, plowing and spraying foliar nutrients, while industrial establishments are watering cultivated lands by mobilizing manpower and water-supply wagons, according to the report.
Local schools are organizing children to water glass and flowers in the city where people are urged to save water.
"Officials of ministries and national institutions are also taking part in the campaign to heal the damage from drought," said the report.
Rainfalls are short of normal levels in the first half of this year. Only sporadic rains arrived on April 24-27 in western and central parts of DPRK.
