So far 31 cities or counties in Hubei province have been affected by the drought, with 4.2 million mu (280,000 hectares) of crops withered and 165,000 livestock short of water, according to the Hubei drought relief headquarters.
Water reserves in Hubei's reservoirs currently total just 11 billion cubic meters, 22 per cent less than that of last year. A total of 964 rivers and 141 reservoirs have dried up completely, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Some 8.13 lakh people are now struggling for drinking water, it said.
High temperatures have exacerbated the effects of the drought. The cities of Shiyan, Xiangyang, Xiaogan and Huanggang in northern Hubei have seen temperatures rise above 35 degrees Celsius over the last two weeks, the report said.
The province's rainy season began on June 25 and two heavy rainstorms are expected to improve the situation.
