KUNMING - Almost 1.2 million people are facing a shortage of drinking water due to a severe drought that has hit southwest China's Yunnan Province, local authorities said Wednesday.

The drought had affected about 190,000 hectares of cropland and 625,500 head of livestock in the province, a statement from the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters said.

The drought in Yunnan has been persistent and severe, with only 73.8 mm of rainfall in the first four months in 2014, about 37 percent less than the annual average for the period.

Due to the lack of precipitation, water is no longer flowing in 102 medium-sized and small rivers in Yunnan, and 69 small reservoirs there have dried up.

The provincial water resources department has allotted 223 million yuan (35.7 million US dollars) in drought relief funds and sent equipment for digging wells and pumping water to alleviate the drinking water shortage.