Bureaus Exclusive

China intensifies construction of water conservation facilities

By Liang Chao (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-12-24 18:00
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NANJING – China will intensify its construction of water conservation facilities with priorities given to improving irrigation infrastructure for grain security and projects against drought and floods, officials confirmed on Friday.

Addressing a national meeting on the matter, Chen Lei, minister of water resources, made it clear water that authorities will work to increase output in water conservancy construction in line with the central government latest policies released by the annual work conference concluded on Wednesday.

Under the policies, central and local authorities will take a leading role in water conservancy construction with investment increased markedly and channels for the input broadened, including extracting from 10 percent of the their income of land leasing for the flawed sector, according to the minister.

Some 200 billion yuan ($30.1 billion) is estimated will be invested for constructing water conservation projects in 2011, a 10 percent increase on this year, reliable sources close to a decision-making agency that declined to be named, said.

The input will mainly focus on improving various water conservation facilities for mitigating disasters, renovating water supply for key and medium-sized irrigation districts, the country's bread baskets, and ensuring safe drinking water for 60 million rural residents.

Over the next 10 years, Chen he said he hopes the country can double its current average annual investment earmarked for water conservancy construction.

The total investment in water projects during the past 5 years reaches about 700 billion yuan with nearly 300 billion yuan allocated by the central government, hitting a record high, he added.

"Boosting water infrastructure construction in rural areas will be listed in its first document of 2011 soon," Chen Xiwen, deputy director of the Central Rural Work Leading Group, said at the two-day water meeting which began on Friday.

"The No 1 document for next year will definitely target water infrastructure, the first special decision the government has ever made to accelerate its development in 62 years since the founding of New China in 1949 due to increasing concerns over the country's grain production," Chen said.

China has a harvest this year, the 7th consecutive one in despite of the severe drought in Southwest China since early spring and the summer's frequent deluges on small and medium rivers in many other areas.

However, getting another harvest next year remain unknown for fear of crops failure floods and drought may cause and its consequent impact on market, especially the price fluctuation of agricultural products the country has seen this year, Chen said.

"We have to accelerate the construction of water conservancy facilities as one of the key infrastructures the country needs to ensure its increasing grain consummation resulted from the country's rapid urbanization and which have consumed more land that used to farming," he said.