BEIJING — China's Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) allocated a total of 418 million yuan (about $59.7 million) for drought relief in seven provincial-level regions on Nov 7.

The emergency fund will be allocated to Shanxi, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi and Chongqing, the MEM said.

Of the total, 250 million yuan will be used for drought relief and 168 million yuan for improving local residents' living conditions that were severely affected by a prolonged drought.

The MEM has dispatched eight work teams to assist in disaster relief in areas severely affected by drought.

The central government has activated a level-IV emergency response, the lowest in China's four-tier national emergency response system, and deployed over 400 teams in disaster-hit areas for drought prevention and disaster relief, the MEM said.