BEIJING - The Chinese government initiated a level IV emergency response plan on Wednesday in response to a severe drought in Central China's Hubei province.

The National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Civil Affairs have dispatched teams to help with relief work.

Parts of the province have been suffering from a drought since December 2011, with rainfall much below normal levels, and some areas have seen record-low precipitation, according to statistics reported by the provincial civil affairs department.

As of Wednesday, a total of 3.29 million people in the province have been affected by the drought, and 1.17 million people have had their livelihoods affected and require government assistance.

The provincial disaster relief and civil affairs authorities have allocated 2 million yuan ($314,000) as relief funds, and governments at city and county levels in the province have issued 7.72 million yuan to deal with drinking water and food shortages.