Drought and floods in different parts of China have affected the lives of tens of millions of people, a national environmental protection official said Thursday.

A drought is threatening supplies of drinking water to more than 14 million people, said Zhang Zhitong, executive director of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

The drought has affected 16.3 million hectares of farmland in the China's northern, northeastern and southwestern regions, Zhang said.

The amount of affected farmland was 36.3 percent more than the average annual area, he said.

The drinking water shortage had also affected 11.55 million head of livestock, according to the official.

Weather forecasters say there is no sign of the drought breaking in most parts of northern and southwestern regions in the foreseeable future.

Beijing, with a permanent population of 15.36 million and more than four million transients, is suffering its worst drought in 50 years, with only 17 millimeters of rainfall reported in the past four months, down 63 percent from the same period last year.

Local authorities warned the lack of rain is already challenging the city's water supply.

Beijing has suffered drought for seven consecutive years. The average annual rainfall between 1999 and 2005 was only 70 percent of the average since records began.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters Thursday ordered local governments to take "all possible" measures to combat the drought.

"Drinking water supply and safety must be secured and spring plowing and sowing must be guaranteed," Zhang said.

Meanwhile, some other parts of China are suffering floods.

Approximately 4.54 million people have been victimized by floods since mid-April, according to Zhang.

Floods and landslides had left 10 people dead and five missing in central, eastern, southwestern and southern regions, Zhang said.

The direct economic losses were reported at more than 2.637 billion yuan (US$330 million), Zhang said.

Moreover, floods had ruined more than 37,100 homes, he said.

About 30 tropical storms or typhoons will be formed in the Northwest Pacific Ocean or South China Sea this year, compared with 23 in 2005, prompting the National Climate Centre to warn local governments to take due precautions, the China Daily reported on Wednesday.

"Local governments in coastal areas should be well prepared for the typhoons as they could combine with rainstorms to cause huge damage," the center warned.

"From now on, local authorities should get ready for bad weather, particularly floods resulting from torrential rains, and persistent drought in other areas," Qin Dahe, director of the China Meteorological Administration, was quoted as saying.

He added that with the weather shifting between high temperatures and heavy rainfalls, China may experience more droughts than floods.

(Xinhua News Agency May 12, 2006)