China's endeavor in upgrading irrigation facilities have helped save 12 billion cubic meters of water for farming over the past 10 years, according to a report released by the Ministry of Water Resources.

 

The report was released at a conference held on Monday to mark the completion of a five-year water-saving irrigation technical co-operation project between the ministry and a Japanese loaning institute, Wednesday's China Daily reported.

 

Li Daxing, an official with the ministry said that the central government and local authorities have appropriated 15.2 billion yuan (US$1.87 billion) in renovating key irrigation facilities.

 

Li said that the project is beneficial to farming on 20,000 hectares of grain growing areas across the country, saving yield of 11 billion kilograms of grains.

 

With the project, computer-based water-control systems introduced by the Japan International Cooperation Agency have been installed in three large irrigation districts in Gansu, Shaanxi and Hunan provinces.

 

According to statistics with the ministry, farming irrigation consumes about 70 percent of China's total water supply. But only 43 percent of the water, 5 percent below the world average, is used effectively.

 

 

 

(CRI April 26, 2006)