As of 3 pm on Thursday, the drought had affected more than 6.75 million hectares of crops, including about 1 million hectares that were described as severely affected. In addition, more than 2.8 million people and nearly 2.6 million farm animals were short of drinking water, according to the latest statistics from the headquarters.

Chen noted that local governments should work to ensure adequate water is available for the spring irrigation of crops and guarantee that people have access to clean drinking water.

The central government has adopted measures to fight the drought and boost grain production, including sending professional teams to guide drought-fighting efforts in affected areas and raising grain purchase prices, he added.

In the coming 10 days, most parts of Central and East China are expected to get precipitation on three occasions but the amount of water involved is likely to be less than 2 mm each time, the NMC said on Sunday.

The center said Shandong and Jiangsu should get between 3 and 6 mm of precipitation, which should ease the thirst of crops there.