Sustained drought over the past seven months has caused water and food shortages for more than 1.37 million people in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, the local government said Monday.

The drought has hit 11 counties and districts in the central part of the Muslim-inhabited region, including Zhongning, Haiyuan and Yuanzhou, the regional civil affairs bureau said.

"These areas have reported no significant rain since November," said Liu Zhonglin, a bureau official in charge of disaster relief. "The drought affected spring and summer ploughing and killed even winter wheat."

Sustained drought has left more than 760,000 people thirsty and destroyed 317,500 hectares of crops, which has led to a food shortage for another 615,000 people, Liu said.

He said at least 870,000 people needed immediate relief, and the regional government had demanded governments at county and city levels should provide aid to the drought-hit areas.

In many counties, government officials and volunteers have been mobilized to carry drinking water for remote schools and households.

Most people in the arid areas of western China live on water kept in cellars, but sustained drought this year has dried up more than 100,000 cellars in central Ningxia.

In the worst-hit villages, 70 percent of the residents need to carry water from neighboring areas, some for 120 yuan (17 U.S. dollars) per cubic meter, Liu said.

He warned the situation could worsen, as the regional weather bureau predicted little precipitation for central Ningxia in the coming two months.

(Xinhua News Agency June 15, 2009)