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Temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius are forecast to scorch areas of central and eastern China, exacerbating the ongoing drought, which has left more than 17 million people short of drinking water.

Temperatures hit 41 degrees Celsius on Wednesday in the eastern part of Sichuan and most of Chongqing, the regions most severely affected by drought, said the China central Meteorological Observatory.

By last Saturday, 17.5 million people and 16.6 million livestock were short of drinking water in China, according to the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

The drought had also affected 11.13 million hectares of cropland, it said.

Local drought relief departments have mobilized people to dig wells, while rain-making technology has also been used.

In Sichuan, the provincial government has called on residents to plant alternative crops such as potatoes to help make up their losses.

The Sichuan Provincial Meteorological Administration predicts the drought will continue as the central and eastern parts of the province experiencing temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius until Saturday.

The province will see marked falls in temperature next Monday when showers and heavy rains are forecast, the administration said on Wednesday.

The central and municipal governments have allocated 223 million yuan (US$27.8 million) to fight "the worst drought in a century" to hit Chongqing Municipality, said Vice Mayor Chen Guangguo on Wednesday.

The drought, the worst to hit Chongqing since the city's meteorological records began in 1891, began in mid-May in northeastern Chongqing, and had plagued most of the municipality for 60 to 90 days, said Chen.

Nearly eight million people and 7.3 million livestock had temporary shortages of drinking water due to drought, which also affected 1.3 million hectares of cropland, said Chen.

Direct economic losses caused by drought were 6.3 billion yuan (US$796 million).

High temperatures also forced a record high power usage of 19.54 million kilowatts for the fifth time this year in Shanghai, according to the municipal electricity company.

From Sunday to Tuesday, temperatures reached about 36 degrees Celsius in Shanghai.

(Xinhua News Agency August 31, 2006)