KUNMING - Vice-Premier Wang Yang has called for increased efforts to ensure basic water supplies in Southwest China's drought-plagued Yunnan province.

During a three-day visit to the province from Friday to Sunday, Wang went to several hard-hit counties, where he stressed that the most pressing task is to ensure drinking water for residents.

He asked local authorities to use drought-resistant technology to guide farmers in agricultural production, as well as guard against possible forest fires.

While calling for more construction of major irrigation projects, Wang pointed out that small-scale facilities should be used as a water source for farmers in the mountainous regions.

Little rainfall since late last year has left many areas across southwest China facing a severe drought.

As of April 10, droughts in China, mainly involving Yunnan in southwest as well as Gansu and Shaanxi provinces in northwest, had left some 6.45 million people short of drinking water, according to statistics from the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.