A severe drought that began in June has hit the Hulunbuir City and the mid-western part of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The drought has caused nearly 2 billion yuan, or approximately 327 million US dollars, in direct economic losses, China News reports.

The Department of Water Resources of Inner Mongolia announced on Sunday that around 310,000 people and 2 million livestock are affected by drinking water shortage, as 378 rivers in the region, along with 177 reservoirs, are drained.

The locals are also experiencing crop damages in nearly 2 million hectares of farmland, including strong damages in around 500,000 hectares.

The drought has also brought locusts to the region, affecting over 2 million hectares of grassland since the beginning of July, the report says.

In addition, local meteorological authorities issued a yellow warning for heat waves on July 24, saying that the highest temperature of the mid-western part of the region could reach above 35 degrees Celsius for the next three days, with Alxa League in the west expecting above 37 degrees Celsius.