The severe drought that began in April has affected 34.83 million people in five provinces - Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, and Hunan - along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze river, Global Times reported.
The drought has led to an economic loss of 14.94 billion yuan ($2.29 billion), the ministry said.
The ministry along with the State Disaster Relief Commission has ordered a series of measures, including allocating a relief fund of 55 million yuan to Hubei and Hunan, the two hardest hit provinces.
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