Kunming (China), March 17 (IANS) A once-in-a-century drought in southwestern China has resulted in a shortage of drinking water for millions of people and livestock, the Xinhua news agency reported Wednesday.

The Yunnan provincial climate centre said the drought, which started in September, was the worst in any living person's memory.

'The average precipitation was down by 60 percent, and the drought will persist until mid May,' said Zhu Yong, head of the center.

The drought has left nearly 8 million people short of drinking water in Yunnan, which has the country's third largest water resource.

It has wreaked havoc, cutting by half the harvests of fruits, tea, rubber, coffee, flower and other economic crops that are pivotal to the local economy.

Yunnan Province is responsible for nearly 80 percent of all fresh flower sales in China's market. Many cities across the country have reported nearly a 100 percent price rise and a remarkable drop in supplies.

Severe drought has also plagued the neighbouring Guizhou Province, where 17 million people are short of drinking water, the provincial flood prevention and drought relief office said Wednesday.

Eighty-six out of the total 88 cities and counties are suffering from the drought, it said in a press release.

In Qianxinan Prefecture, one of the worst-hit areas, villagers are seen waiting in long lines, day in day out, for drinking water rationed out by the local government.

A river in Bajie town of the prefecture ran dry in early February. 'It was at least three meters deep,' said Song Xiuguo, a local resident.

As of Tuesday, 6.45 million hectares of cropland was suffering from drought, at least 1.8 million hectares more than last year, the national flood prevention and drought relief headquarters in Beijing said.

It said the worst-hit areas include Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Chongqing Municipality. More than 20 million people in total were suffering water shortages.

In Guangxi, 12 of the 14 cities are suffering from drought. A reservoir in Donglan County, which dried up at the end of last year, had cracks nearly 10 centimeters wide at its bottom, a result of the sustained drought.

Though spring plowing has begun even in the cold, dry northern provinces, the cropland in most parts of southern Guangxi remains infertile.

Experts with the national climate centre have described the winter climate as 'abnormal'. While the southwestern region has been harassed by the centennial drought, the northern and central provinces have suffered excessive snow.

Beijing, which is normally arid for three quarters of the year except for summer, reported 10 snowfalls since November, the latest of which fell in mid March, an unusual occurrence for most Beijingers.

Experts are hoping the abnormal weather will not prevent the country from meeting its grain output target of at least 500 million tonnes.

China largely relies on the north and central regions for grain output. The drought-hit southwestern region, however, is not one of the country's leading grain areas.