As if drought in south wasn't bad enough, four northern provinces are in its grip too

The Ministry of Water Resources yesterday warned that the northern and southern regions may be battered by drought at the same time.

The grim warning came as nearly 24 million people in the southwest battle drinking water shortages after months of prolonged drought.

The water in the reservoirs in Yunnan , the worst-hit province, would only last another six weeks unless significant rainfall occurred, a provincial official said.

Vice-minister Liu Ning said signs of severe drought had emerged in the northern provinces of Hebei , Shanxi , Gansu and Ningxia and central government officials might face the daunting task of coping with simultaneous droughts in the north and the south.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said the number of people affected in the five worst-hit regions - Yunnan, Guizhou , Guangxi , Sichuan and Chongqing - had risen by 880,000 to 18.05 million.

Nationwide, more than 7.6 million hectares of farmland have been affected by the once-in-a-century drought, while 23.72 million people and 15.55 million head of livestock lack drinking water.