BEIJING - The drought in Southwest China will not only continue but will get even more serious, a senior water resources official said on Wednesday.

A total of 116 million mu, or 7.73 million hectares, of arable land has been affected in China as of Tuesday, up from 114 million mu last Friday, Liu Ning, vice-minister of water resources, said at a press conference in Beijing.

The drought, the worst in a century, has had a serious impact on the life of the locals and on economic development, leaving 24.25 million people and 15.84 million farm animals short of water, he said.