China spends billions of dollars on new water infrastructure system

(MENAFN) China has announced the completion of what it calls the world’s "largest, most comprehensive" water management system, with investment in related projects during the 2021–2025 period projected to surpass 5.4 trillion yuan ($757 billion), according to reports.

Officials explained that funding in this sector under the current Five-Year Plan is estimated to be 1.6 times greater than what was allocated during the previous 2016–2020 cycle. Since the launch of the 14th Five-Year Plan, the country has rolled out 172 major projects aimed at enhancing efficiency, integration, and resilience across its water infrastructure network.

By late 2024, authorities confirmed that China had built an expansive system including 95,000 reservoirs, 200 medium-to-large water transfer initiatives, 6,924 irrigation districts, and approximately 318,000 kilometers (197,596 miles) of protective dikes. Officials described this as a globally unmatched system in scale, functionality, and population coverage.

The Water Resources Minister emphasized progress in strengthening defenses against both floods and droughts. Current figures show reservoir flood storage capacity has reached 185.6 billion cubic meters, while flood detention capacity stands at 109 billion cubic meters. In addition, dikes now safeguard around 660 million residents.

Reports also note that the economic impact of flooding has lessened during this period, with losses as a percentage of GDP declining from 0.28% to 0.18%.

Looking ahead to the end of 2025, officials expect the national water network to extend across 80.3% of the country. Irrigated farmland is forecast to grow to 72.7 million hectares (180 million acres), while access to clean tap water in rural areas is anticipated to reach 96% of the population.

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