Beijing, China's national capital, spent 12.1 billion yuan (1.49 billion US dollars) over the past four years from 2000 to 2004 to curb water pollution, according to Sunday's Beijing Daily.

The municipal government built 94.2 kilometers of fencing to encircle the city's three major drinking water reservoirs, Miyun, Huairou and Beijing-Miyun aqueduct, according to the newspaper.

Nearly 15,000 local residents have been relocated and more than 2,000 hectares' of woodland have been created to help preserve water.

In order to ensure the limpid groundwater in downtown areas, the city government has shut down, merged and rebuilt nearly 100 gas stations, and set up 100 kilometers of liquid sewage pipelines.

The Beijing Municipal Statistics Bureau said two months ago that average per-capita water consumption in Beijing area dropped by 14.6 percent to 15.8 tons in the first seven months of 2005r, thanks to the heightened awareness of the importance of water-saving.

China is now facing an acute shortage of energy resources and burdens in environmental protection. Achieving a sustained economy, building up an energy-efficient society and developing a recycling-based economy have become priorities.

Meanwhile, statistics shows two thirds of Chinese cities lack water and one sixth of them is confronted with an acute shortage of water.

(Xinhua News Agency October 10, 2005)