BEIJING, April 8 -- China has earmarked 174 million yuan (about 24.51 million U.S. dollars) from the central government funding to support drought relief in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said on Monday.

The disaster relief funds, allocated by the MOF and the Ministry of Water Resources, will mainly be used to ensure the safety of drinking water and agricultural irrigation in the drought-affected areas of the two provinces, the MOF said.

Temperatures in the two provinces are expected to be 1 to 2 degrees Celsius higher than normal years in April, the China Meteorological Administration said last week.

The drought is likely to persist in the two provinces, the administration said, urging strengthened water resource management.