BEIJING - A lingering drought has left more than 12.6 million people short of drinking water and huge tracts of farmland parched in China's southwestern regions, the nation's top drought-relief authority said Sept 8.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said that a total of 6.24 million hectares of farmland nationwide have been affected by the drought as of Sept 8.

The drought has also caused water shortages for 14.54 million people nationwide.

But the drought has been particularly severe in the southwestern provinces of Guizhou, Yunnan and Sichuan, the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and Chongqing municipality, drying up reservoirs and rivers since it began in early July.

The drought has affected more than 3 million hectares of farmland in the southwest.

China's Minister of Water Resources Chen Lei on?Sept 8?ordered local bureaus to establish detailed plans for solving the drinking problem for local residents and intensify drought-fighting efforts.

The nation's meteorological authorities have issued light and moderate rain forecasts for these drought-hit regions over the next three days.