More than 320,000 people in Jiangxi Province are suffering from drinking water shortage due to a severe drought, the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters said on Wednesday.

High temperatures have parched most parts of Jiangxi since mid-July, affecting people and more than 177,000 hectares of cropland.

The province only received an average precipitation of 579 mm over the past three months, 30 percent less than the comparable average amount over the past years.

On July 20, Large and medium-sized reservoirs have seen average water storage drop by 1.34 billion cubic meters than the average figures in the past years.

Weather forecast said high temperatures would continue for a relatively long time, making the drought worse.

Local governments are working on water consumption plans and reinforcing management of water resources to ensure drinking water supply and irrigation.

In a sharp contrast, severe floods have hit nearly half of China's regions this summer, claiming at least 400 lives so far, one of the worst rainy season since 1998.

(Xinhua News Agency July 26, 2007)