Water conservation projects built last winter and this spring
have made clean drinking water available to a further 22 million
rural residents, said a senior water resources official on
Tuesday.
Nine hundred and nine new reservoirs have been built, 140,000
wells dug and 18,000 water supply projects completed in rural
areas, at a cost of 61 billion yuan (about US$7.6 billion), said
Zhai Haohui, vice minister of Water Resources, at a national
meeting on rural water conservation.
The improved facilities played an important role in combating
floods and drought that stung east and southwest China this year,
he said.
In southwest China's Chongqing city, which was hit by the worst
drought in a century this summer, water conservation work ensured
drinking water for more than 10 million people and a harvest on
670,000 hectares of cropland, according to Zhai.
China will earmark another eight billion yuan (about
US$1billion) to build and rebuild key projects for rural drinking
water and irrigation facilities, Zhai said.
China aims to provide safe drinking water to 160 million rural
residents over the next five years.
(Xinhua News Agency October 11, 2006)