CHONGQING, Feb. 26 -- Severe drought has had a debilitating effect on the Yangtze River, China's longest waterway, over the last two weeks, leaving at least 1 million people in Chongqing Municipality with water shortages, local water authorities said on Monday.

A spokesman of Shapingba Waterworks, one of the largest drinking water suppliers in the city center, told Xinhua that only one of its 10 pipes used to pump water from the Yangtze was still below the water surface and in operation - and that is only 10 cm below the water level.

"If the water levels in the Yangtze and its upper tributary Jialing River continue to decline, we'll face a real crisis," he said.

The municipal drought control authority has sent water wagons to the drought-hit areas to provide water for humans and cattle and has told local governments to build up reserves.

The local hydrological bureau said water levels in the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers had declined sharply in recent weeks due to a lack of rainfall. It follows last summer's severe drought that forced tens of thousands of farmers to eke out a living away from home.

On Sunday, the water level at Cuntan hydrological station in Chongqing measured 158.43 meters, only 35 centimeters higher than the record low reported in 1987, said a bureau spokesman surnamed Wang.

Wang also blamed a glut of power plants in Yangtze's upper reaches for the decline in water.

The municipal flood control and drought prevention office predicted the drought would last until after the rainy season begins in May.

In the meantime, it plans to ease the drought through artificial rainfall.

Water conservation experts believe most parts of Chongqing will receive between 1,000 and 1,300 millimeters of rainfall this year, slightly more than in recent years.

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