China: Work Begins On Three Major Projects

Construction activity on three major water projects has commenced as part of the Chinese government's plan to invest an estimated US$120 Billion USD in water infrastructure in this calendar year. This efforts follows the 18 projects that have already been started.

China has accelerated the implementation of water conservancy projects which have been mostly aimed at improving water access in rural areas.

One three-year project tackles floodgate reconstruction in the Yellow River. It will impact 37 floodgates from East China's Shandong Province to Central China's Henan Province and affect 11 cities. The project will ensure stable water supply in areas of the country with large-scale grain production.

The largest of the three projects, worth US$750 Million USD, will impact the Hunan water reservoir and is expected to be able to guarantee a flow of 285.000 tonnes of clean water a day into the Southeastern city of Jishou. Hunan is the second largest consumer of water in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) due to its agricultural activity.

The third project is aimed to improve river management in Anhui province providing water security to 1.5 million people and nearly 200.000 hectares of farmland.

Up until May this year, US$ 4.37 Billion USD had been already invested by the Chinese government to improve water access in rural areas and impacting 9.32 million people.