Agriculture and the rural areas in general have been hit head- on by the drought, while the cities are suffering too, said Zhang Jiatuan of the headquarters.

North China's Tianjin Municipality, which has been suffering from drought for four years running, is compelled to implement a water quota as of July 1.

Many other cities have already limited their water supplies, and the restrictions on water will be strengthened in major cities in northeast China such as Shenyang, should the drought not be relieved by rainfall in the near future.

More than 1,000 industrial enterprises in southwest China's Sichuan Province have suspended or almost suspended production due to water shortages.

Water shortage has been plaguing China since the early 1990s, and the urbanization process will make it worse over the next few decades, Zhang said.

(People's Daily)