Ammon News - Some 4.2 million people in central China's Hubei province have been affected by severe drought since June, according to Chinese sources.

As of Tuesday, drought conditions, triggered by sustained hot weather and low precipitation, had impacted 78 counties in Hubei. A total of 151,300 people had difficulties accessing drinking water, while nearly 397,200 hectares of crops had been damaged due to water shortages.

From the beginning of June to mid-August, temperatures in the province were unusually high exceeding 35 degrees Celsius, the Hubei Meteorological Service said.

Hubei has allocated 610 million yuan (about USD$90 million) to support drought relief work, including ensuring the provision of drinking and irrigation water.