China will intensify efforts to accelerate the development of the nation's water conservancy and promote the sustainable use of water resources, according to a document issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council. The country aims to build effective flood control and drought relief systems by the end of 2020.

In the next ten years, China will double its average annual spending on water conservancy compared with that of 2010, and up to 10 percent of local land transaction fees will go to farmland irrigation projects.

The Central Government spent nearly 100 billion yuan (about $15 billion) on water conservancy projects last year.

The government will also encourage loans and private investment in the water sector, to ensure funding for the country's water conservancy development.

China will complete the harnessing of its major medium and small sized rivers within the next five year, during the 12th Five-Year Program period, as floods and drought in recent years have exposed weaknesses in water conservancy infrastructures.

In the same five-year period, the country also aims to maintain annual water consumption at below 670 billion cubic meters.

More efforts will be made to improve water quality and irrigate farmland. Such as increasing areas being irrigated by 2.7 million hectares over the next five years.

Moreover, the Government seeks to complete its planned rural drinking water safety projects by 2013. It plans to work out an index system to intensify water-saving management.

The Central Government will also subsidize the maintenance of public benefit water projects in the western regions and poverty-stricken areas.

The Government is promising to improve laws and regulations regarding water resources distribution, water conservation, drought relief and flood control, rural water conservancy, among others, as well as law enforcement.

Water availability per capita is only a quarter of the world average. Among the total of 663 cities in China, there are more than 400 cities suffering from water shortage problems, and more than 110 cities facing severe water shortages.

(CNTV.cn January 29, 2011)