BEIJING - Precipitation has helped ease a lingering drought in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces and conditions will further improve as rainy season arrives, the drought relief authority said on Thursday.

Recent rainfall has alleviated 290,000 people and 220,000 livestock from lacking adequate drinking water in the two provinces, according to a statement posted on the website of the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

However, the dry spell is still affecting 5.47 million people, 2.76 million livestock and 6.07 million mu (about 404,667 hectares) of cropland due to insufficient precipitation and uneven distribution, it warned.

In the following three days, scattered rain showers are expected to hit the two drought-plagued provinces, with some areas expecting heavy rains, said the National Meteorological Center.