GUIZHOU - A lingering drought has left over two million people short of drinking water in Southwest Guizhou province, said the provincial civil affairs bureau in a statement on Friday.

The province has been gripped by drought since early July as rainfall last month is 69.8-percent less than the average, according to the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.

As of Friday, over 2.15 million people in 84 of the province's cities and counties were suffering from drinking water shortage, said the statement.

The drought has also affected 1.05 million hectares of crops and left 760,000 livestock short of drinking water, causing direct economic losses of more than 6 billion yuan ($923 million).

The provincial weather bureau said that rainfall in August so far is also less than average.

According to bureau's weather forecast, most of the province won't see rainfall over the coming three days.

To ease the drought, the province will deploy artificial rain, said the statement.

The civil affairs bureau said it had allocated funds to ensure drinking water supplies for local residents.

The province's agriculture departments are helping farmers pump water out of the ground to save crops.