NANNING - A sustained drought has caused water shortages for more than 680,000 people in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and neighboring Guizhou province, said local authorities Friday.

The water shortage has affected at least 200,000 people, more than 70,000 heads of livestock and damaged 31,000 hectares of crops in six counties in the city of Baise in northwest Guangxi, the regional civil affairs bureau said in a statement.

The regional weather bureau said western and southern parts of Guangxi have suffered sustained heat and droughts. The average temperature has been two to three degrees Celsius higher than normal, but the region has seen 30 to 50 percent less preciptation that usual.

In Guizhou, a similar drought has affected 482,000 people, 187,000 heads of livestock and 55,000 hectares of crops in the province's southwest as of Thursday, according to a statement released by the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters Friday.

Monitoring results showed that 25 counties in the province are suffering moderate or severe levels of drought, said the statement.

The local government has mobilized 107,000 people and more than 500vehicles to provide drinking water to the thirsty population.

Weather authorities in both Guangxi and Guizhou did not predict effective precipitation for the coming week.