Several sections of the drought-stricken Yangtze River, China's longest waterway, may pose dangers for shipping traffic, according to authorities.

Relevant government units have been asked to strengthen traffic management in the river and ensure safety on the key route, according to the Changjiang Maritime Safety Administration.

The water level of the the Yangtze River has been sharply reduced since February of this year, with its middle reaches decreasing to levels not seen in fifty years. In addition, water levels near the river's Three Gorges Dam are at five-year lows.

Maritime safety bureaus in the cities of Chongqing, Wuhan and Huangshi have issued alarms and aided ships that have ran aground over the past three days.

The upper area of the Yangtze, located near Chongqing, has seen severe drops in water levels, according to the Chongqing Maritime Safety Bureau. The bureau has already put emergency plans into action to keep the area safe for shipping vessels.

However, many ships have already encountered trouble along this part of the river. The bureau has aided 58 ships in sailing through the channel and rescued six others since February, according to statistics from the bureau. The bureau now has six high-powered tugboats ready to offer help along the Chongqing section of the Yangtze.

The lingering spring drought has also affected Hubei Province, along the middle section of the Yangtze River.

The drought has reduced water levels in the nearby Yangtze River to a "worrying level", says Wang Xiandeng, head of the Changjiang (Yangtze) Wuhan Waterway Bureau.

The Three Gorges Dam has been allowing more water through than usual in an attempt to aid the middle and lower regions of the Yangtze, which have been particularly hard-hit by the drought.

The dam's management department is actively diverting water, with more than 16 billion cubic meters of water being diverted to the middle and lower regions of the Yangtze since the end of last year, according to the dam's managers.

Hubei provincial capital city Wuhan, located close to the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, recorded a river depth of 2.87 meters on Wednesday, 3.26 meters lower than one year earlier.

More than 10 million mu (about 660,000 hectares) of farmland have been affected by the drought as of May 5, according to a survey conducted by the Hubei provincial agricultural department.

About 291,000 people and 79,000 livestock in Hubei are short of drinking water as a result of the severe drought. The drought has also affected Hubei's role as China's major grain and cotton producer.

Hubei has not been alone in its struggles - the nearby provinces of Jiangxi and Hunan, both of which are also major grain producers, have also been affected by the drought.

South China has seen a 50 percent decrease in average precipitation since the start of this year, which has caused several major rivers and reservoirs to dry up. The drought has also hampered spring harvest efforts, according to the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

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