NANCHANG — A severe drought since July 15 has caused direct economic losses of about 990 million yuan (about $146 million) in East China's Jiangxi province and around 655,000 people have been mobilized to participate in the province's drought relief campaign, local authorities said on Aug 17.

At 4 pm on Aug 16, the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters launched a Level-IV drought emergency response, the lowest in China's four-tier national emergency response system. As of 4 pm on Aug 16, funds of over 387 million yuan had been pooled into the province's drought relief work, said the headquarters.

According to weather forecast, high temperatures and little rain are expected to continue in the coming days in Jiangxi.