国内英语新闻:Drought plagues 13 Chinese provinces

BEIJING, April 5 (Xinhua) -- China's ongoing severe drought has hit 13 Chinese provinces, having an adverse impact on agricultural production, the country's drought relief authorities said Thursday.

As of Thursday, the dry spell has left 7.82 million people and 4.58 million head of livestock without adequate drinking water in provinces including Yunnan, Sichuan, Hebei, Shanxi and Gansu, said an official from the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

The drought has also dried up reservoirs and threatened spring planting, affecting 60.1 million mu (4 million hectares) of crop land as of Thursday.

The drought relief authorities and the Ministry of Water Resources are keeping a close eye on the development of the drought.

Since last winter, 12 work teams have been sent to drought-stricken provinces and 144 million yuan (22.86 million U.S. dollars) of relief funds have been allocated to Yunnan to help the worst-hit province purchase anti-drought facilities, the official said.

The country will do everything possible to ensure basic water supply for residents and agricultural production, the official said.?