Severe drought affects 2.98 mln in SW China

A drought that has lingered since July has left more than 2.98 million people short of drinking water in southwest China's Guizhou province, local authorities said Wednesday.

About 16.67 million people in 83 of Guizhou's 88 counties have been affected by the drought, according to the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.

Some 1.26 million hectares of farmland have been affected by the drought, and 1.25 million head of cattle are also short on drinking water.

The drought has caused economic losses of over 9.04 billion yuan (1.47 billion US dollars), said the headquarters.

The provincial civil affairs department has allocated 110 million yuan toward drought relief work, while the provincial disaster reduction committee has upgraded the disaster relief response level.

The drought will continue this week, according to the provincial meteorological station.

A record-setting heat wave has affected multiple regions in China since July, causing water shortages, power supply issues and problems with growing crops.

Temperatures have hit 42 degrees Celsius in some parts of the country.