BEIJING: Increased endeavors by the Ministry of Water Resources to promote the development of water conservancy have helped to stabilize the national economy and boost employment during the first seven months of this year, Vice-Minister of Water Resources Liu Weiping said. Between January and July, 567.5 billion yuan ($84 billion) was invested in water conservancy projects, a 71.4 percent increase on last year, Liu told a news conference, adding that the investment “has contributed significantly to stabilizing investment and boosting employment”. Over 1.6 million people were employed in the construction of these projects, including over 1.2 million migrant workers from rural China. As of the end of July, there were 31,800 water conservancy projects under construction across the country, with a total planned investment of 1.7 trillion yuan, he said. The vice-minister stressed that the ministry has intensified efforts to promote agricultural irrigation and rural water supply projects, on the basis that investment in these projects not only creates jobs and helps stabilize the economy, but also bolsters national food security and boosts rural development.
Altogether 46.6 billion yuan was invested in developing rural water supply projects, more than double the amount invested during the same 7-month period last year, he said, adding that the investments will benefit about 25.3 million rural residents.
–The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
