The Xiaolangdi Dam enters the water transfer stage on June 23, 2022, and the Yellow River’s water flows out from the flood relief port. Photo: VCG

As of November 2022, China has invested more than 1 trillion yuan ($143.69 billion) in water conservancy construction across the country, representing a year-on-year increase of 33 percent, making it the largest annual capital investment since the People's Republic of China was established in 1949, the Ministry of Water Resources (MRW) said on Wednesday.

With a total of 40,312 projects this year, China's water conservancy construction now accounts for 2.36 million jobs, of whom 1.96 million come from rural areas, while the sector buildup in many cases also help boost local tourism revenues.

Water conservancy infrastructure plays an important role in securing China's grain output. During the heat wave this summer, about 3,500 improved irrigated areas along the Yangtze River reduced the impact of severe drought, and secured a bumper autumn grain harvest by irrigating 170 million mu (11.33 million hectares) in planting area, the state broadcaster CCTV reported on Wednesday.

MWR has overseen 505 improvement projects covering mid- and large-scale irrigated areas, which are estimated to have added 3.7 million mu of new irrigated farmland. As of early December, total investment volume of irrigated area improvement reached 35.3 billion yuan.

The MRW has been enhancing water supply in rural areas with total investment of 91.8 billion yuan as of early December, creating 332,000 jobs and benefitting 74.49 million rural laborers. The number of water purification projects in rural areas reached 109,000, serving a population of 220 million people, the report said.

Global Times