Malaysia said that it will further ration water in and around the capital Kuala Lumpur.

The emergency measure will affect millions as drought continues to scorch the usually drenched country.

More than 300,000 households in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor state face rationing in March after a two-month dry spell drained reservoirs.

About 60,000 households in Selangor have already been living with water restrictions since Tuesday.

And the national water commission said another 50,000 premises in the southern state of Johor had to have water rationed last week as much of Malaysia suffers under dry conditions and high temperatures.

Kuala Lumpur shares its water supply with Selangor, where the reserve level of reservoirs has dropped below 50 per cent.

A spokeswoman from the state water company said that about 2.2 million people would be affected.

Malaysia tends to experience dry weather early in the year but the current spell has been unusually long, sparking bushfires and protests from communities whose taps have run dry.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department said that 11 out of 40 weather stations have recorded the longest-ever dry spells and warned the dry patch could last another month.

The state of Negeri Sembilan also declared a water crisis last week, mobilising to supply treated water to thousands of stricken households.