BEIJING, March 28 (Xinhua) -- A drought that has lingered since last October has affected 23.7 million people living in Yunnan, Gansu and Sichuan provinces to date, causing economic losses of more than 1.1 billion U.S dollars, according to civil affairs authorities.

The National Disaster Reduction Commission (NDRC) and the Ministry of Civil Affairs initiated an emergency response to the drought on Thursday and sent work teams to aid in disaster relief.

The NDRC has also organized meetings to analyze the causes of drought and work out relief measures.

Authorities said the drought may last, as heavy rain is not expected in April.