China Surpasses CNY1 Trillion in Water Conservation Spending for Fourth Year

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In the past year, China invested over 1 trillion yuan (approximately $143.1 billion) in water conservancy projects, marking the fourth consecutive year of such high-level investment. This effort has been crucial in safeguarding regional populations and also in generating new employment opportunities.

Last year, the country allocated around 1.3 trillion yuan ($185 billion) toward water preservation initiatives, overseeing the execution of 47,563 different projects that employed about 3.2 million workers. This information was shared at the recent two-day National Water Resources Work Conference.

Such investments have significantly strengthened China’s ability to prevent floods and droughts, as well as improve water resource conservation and management. The annual investment surpassed 1 trillion yuan for the first time in 2022, with a 44% increase from the previous year, reaching 1.2 trillion yuan in 2023 and 1.4 trillion yuan in 2024.

In 2024, China launched 27 major water conservancy projects. Notably, the Dadu River–Minjiang River Diversion Project in Sichuan province, with a total investment of 68 billion yuan ($9.7 billion), covers a 304-kilometer water transfer route and is planned to be completed over eight years. This project aims to resolve water shortages in the Minjiang River Basin, a tributary of the upper Yangtze River.

Additionally, various Chinese water departments achieved notable progress in flood and drought prevention, ecological restoration of rivers and lakes, and the development of a digital twin water management system last year.

The national water rights trading platform completed 14,000 transactions in 2024, with a trading volume of 1.6 billion cubic meters—setting a new high. This achievement highlights the country’s innovative efforts to develop water-saving mechanisms.

Looking ahead to the 15th Five-Year Plan through 2030, China is committed to advancing high-quality water conservancy development. The focus will be on ensuring water security, strengthening flood and drought prevention capabilities, improving water resource management, and reinforcing the legal framework governing water resources.