Officials said on Wednesday that Southwestern China's drought is so severe the government in some areas is rationing just enough water to keep people alive.

The worst in memory, the drought has left more than 20 million people short of drinking water in Yunnan and Guizhou provinces.

Adding he uses "only a few drops of water every other day" to rinse his eyes, Shiyanzi resident Li Shaorong, said, "The horsebean and rape (crops) has withered in the field and we're running out of grain in the house."

Crops of fruit, tea, rubber, coffee, flowers and other crops key to the local economy, has been devastated by the drought.

The official Xinhua news agency reported that the region has seen no rain in six months and some communities since January have been rationing just enough water to keep people alive.

A change some scientists attribute to climate change, while China's southwestern region is experiencing severe drought, the Nation's northern and central provinces have had excessive snow. (With Inputs from Agencies)