CHENGDU -- A prolonged drought has left nearly four million people and 4.46 million livestock short of drinking water in China's southwestern province of Sichuan.

Eighty counties or cities have had 20 to 40 days of drought, according to the Sichuan provincial meteorological bureau.

Prolonged high temperatures and limited, scattered rainfall this spring were causing alarm and worry that the drought could last throughout the summer. Sixteen counties or cities have declared they are suffering from drought.

About 110,000 people are depending on water being trucked to their location, said the provincial water resources department.

While there was some rain in the province in May, it fell in only certain areas, the bureau said.

Large tracts of farmland were not seeded this spring for lack of moisture and some crops have shriveled.

The bureau has dispatched more than 20 work teams to carry out drought-relief work in farm areas.

Drought in most parts of northern and western China since early March have affected 14.93 million hectares of arable land and 7.52 million livestock.

The Ministry of Agriculture earlier warned the drought could affect summer crop output.