Two ministries will allocate 40 million yuan ($5.5 million) from natural disaster relief funds to support Sichuan province and Yunnan province in responding to forest fire and drought.

The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management said in a circular on Sunday they will allocate 20 million yuan to Sichuan for forest fire relief, while 20 million yuan will be allocated to Yunnan to tackle drought disasters.

The funds will be primarily used to address water shortages for urban and rural residents, and purchase or lease emergency equipment for water supply and purification.

Local authorities will use the funds to organize personnel to ensure water supply for residents, and provide assistance to those facing temporary living difficulties due to disasters.

The Ministry of Finance urged the finance departments of both provinces to expedite the disbursement of the funds to disaster areas and effectively strengthen fund management, the circular said.

In mid-March, a forest fire broke out in Yajiang county, Sichuan, while residents in Yunnan have experienced drought disasters and water shortages in recent days.