River widening pays off for county

Thanks to the past year's river engineering efforts, the impact from river flooding has been alleviated in Fogang county in northern Guangdong province, where the rainy season used to be a nightmare for locals.

Since last June, a river channel of 52.5 kilometers in the county has been widened to enable more floodwaters to travel faster, according to the local authorities. The total investment reached nearly 50 million yuan ($8.2 million).

"The investment is huge for us, but it has paid off," said Li Xiaolong, director of the local water resources bureau.