BEIJING — As of Jan 26, over 475,333 hectares of arable land had been affected by drought, and 170,000 villagers had difficulty getting drinking water, according to data from the Ministry of Water Resources.

Some cities and counties in Zhejiang, Guangdong and Yunnan provinces had tight water supply in recent days, affecting around 1.4 million people, the ministry said.

Parts of southern China will likely continue to see water shortages, partly due to less rainfall and inadequate reservoir water storage.

Local authorities should closely monitor drought developments, speed up emergency water project construction, and ensure safe drinking water.

The ministry also sent three work teams to Zhejiang, Guangxi and Yunnan to help with drought relief.