BEIJING - About 2.2 million people in China are short of drinking water as severe droughts continue to plague winter wheat producing areas, said the nation's drought relief authorities on Monday.

Photo taken on Jan 14, 2011 shows withered wheat seedlings in Bozhou, Anhui province suffers serious drought. [Photo/Xinhua]?

Rainfall in Henan, Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui and Shaanxi provinces has decreased 20 to 90 percent over the last four months from the same-period average, said Chen Lei, deputy director of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

Relentless droughts that started to dry out winter wheat producing areas such as Shandong and Henan provinces in November continue, affecting some 4 million hectares of cropland, said Chen.

Water supply is running low in cities around the Yellow, Huaihe and Haihe rivers in northern and central parts of China, he said.

Governments at all levels should fully recognize the challenge and ramp up drought-relief efforts, he added.