KUNMING, April 3 (Xinhua) -- A severe drought has affected over 1 million people in southwest China's Yunnan Province, the provincial water conservancy department said Friday.

As of Wednesday, a total of 1.14 million people had difficulties accessing drinking water, while 258,400 domestic animals were also short of water.

A total of 181,333 hectares of crops were damaged, according to the department.

The province has seen an uneven and less amount of precipitation. The drought is estimated to continue until the rainy season in early summer, according to the department.

At present, 78 rivers in Yunnan have been cut off, 115 reservoirs have dried up, and 99 irrigation wells have an insufficient water supply.

The water conservancy department of Yunnan Province is closely monitoring the drought situation, guiding the local governments to take drought-resistant measures.

So far, 436 drought-resistant emergency projects have been implemented across the province. At the same time, the meteorological department has carried out more than 600 artificial precipitation operations.

Besides ensuring the safety of water supply for people in urban and rural areas, Yunnan's water conservancy department is also working to guarantee water supply for industrial and agricultural production.