Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao pledged to step up efforts to resolve water shortages on Sunday during a tour of the interior region of Ningxia, one of several areas facing drought.

Across China, more than 300 million people in rural areas are short of clean drinking water and pollution is so severe the government estimates 40 percent of water in the country's major rivers is fit only for industrial or agricultural use.

Wen said the government would adopt measures to ensure supplies of drinking water for people and livestock, ensure there was enough water for irrigation and step up financial support to alleviate droughts.

"Resolving the problem of drinking water is the number one issue in drought regions like this one," Wen said in comments from his weekend trip carried on state television and radio.

"I am very much thinking of you, the central government is thinking of you ... I hope the daily life of everyone can improve day by day."

Nine out of 14 rivers in Ningxia have dried up and storage water is about 35 percent lower than average levels, state radio said.

Ningxia is not the only region facing drought.

The northern province of Hebei is suffering its worst water shortage in 55 years, destroying wheat crops and leaving nearly half a million people lacking drinking water.

More than a decade of near double-digit economic growth has put serious strain on water demand in China, which has only 7 percent of the world's total water resources, compared to more than 20 percent of the global population.