A lingering drought in Gansu province could worsen in the next few weeks, with drinking water for close to 1 million people already under threat, authorities said.

The drought, which has lasted since mid-February, has already affected 5 million people and forced more than 1 million to seek government aid.

With temperatures continuing to rise, the drought could worsen in the next few weeks as meteorological authorities predict little rainfall in the province until late April, said Zhang Kebing, deputy director of the provincial civil affairs department.

Most of the people facing a severe water shortage live in remote mountainous areas where tap water is not available and the drought has dried up springs, streams and storage ponds.

The drought is also threatening the sowing and harvesting of 675,700 hectares of farmland, with 11,300 hectares facing crop failures.

Ma Zhijian, Party chief of Gaoshan township in the Dongxiang autonomous county, said more than 400 households in the township have been forced to collect drinking water from a reservoir in another township.

"The reservoir could run dry in 20 days if it doesn't rain," he said.

Farmers could miss the planting time for corn, a major crop in the township, if rain does not come, he said.

The township, which was visited by President Xi Jinping during Chinese New Year in February, is considering upgrading the infrastructure to supply tap water to households. However, the project is beyond the financial means of the township and payment of construction teams has to be delayed.

Last year, the drought-prone province received little precipitation in autumn and winter, which aggravated the water shortage situation this year.

Meanwhile, temperatures this spring are higher than in previous years.

"The high temperatures increase evaporation and make it difficult for reservoirs, rivers and the soil to preserve water," said Wei Chuandeng, deputy director of the drought relief headquarters in Gansu.

Wei said the authority's priority is to ensure the drinking water supply to people and livestock.

Severe droughts have also affected parts of neighboring Qinghai province where 840,000 people in 32 counties are affected, with drinking water for more than 3,200 people threatened.

In addition to northwestern provinces, droughts also hit Sichuan and Yunnan provinces and Chongqing municipality in Southwest China and Shanxi province in North China, with more than 5.9 million people facing drinking water shortages and nearly 3.5 million people in need of government aid, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Contact the writers at xuwei@chinadaily.com.cn and xuechaohua@chinadaily.com.cn

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