BEIJING, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Water supply for drought relief in the affected section of the Yangtze River is secured generally despite the persistent drought, an official with the Ministry of Water Resources said Saturday.
"The safety of drinking water for people is basically ensured and water supply for large and medium-sized irrigated areas and urban areas is effectively guaranteed," said Yao Wenguang, a disaster prevention official with the ministry.
Since July, rainfall in the Yangtze River Basin is nearly 50 percent less than that in the same period of regular years due to high temperatures, Yao said.
The drought is still affecting 29.85 million mu (1.99 million hectares) of farmlands and 290,000 people in Chongqing, Hunan, Jiangxi, Hubei, Anhui and Guizhou, according to the ministry.
Yao said the ministry will continue to optimize the water replenishment project and facilitate water conservation and water resources management to better fight the drought.
