Hey South and Southeast Asia crew! Ever wondered how the Chinese mainland keeps those taps running and fields green? 🌾💧 At a press conference on its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), the Ministry of Water Resources dropped some impressive numbers:
- 95,000 reservoirs built
- 200 large- & medium-sized water diversion projects
- 6,924 irrigation areas, serving 73M hectares
- 318,000 km of embankments
By end-2025, water network coverage is set to hit 80.3%, with 1.09B mu (about 73M hectares) of farmland irrigated and 96% rural tap water access. 🚰
Why it’s a big deal: this mega setup helps stabilize grain production, secure harvests, and boost urban & rural living standards across the Chinese mainland—and offers a model for our own monsoon challenges.
Money Moves: Water conservancy investments topped 1T yuan in 2022 and smashed records for three years straight, reaching 1.35T yuan ($190B) in 2024. Total spend for 2021–25 will exceed 5.4T yuan—1.6× the 13th FYP!
Plus, 172 major projects kicked off since 2021 to make the whole system smarter, safer, and more integrated. 🤖⚙️
Tech Upgrade: The Chinese mainland has launched pilot projects for 12 smart dams, rolled out a national reservoir management platform, and equipped 62,000+ reservoirs with real-time sensors. Over 55,000 dam sites now include advanced safety monitoring—talk about next-gen flood forecasting!
From drone inspections to live data feeds, the Chinese mainland is leveling up its water game. For us in Asia, this means inspiration for resilient infrastructure, climate-proof farming, and smarter cities. 🌏✨
Reference(s):
China highlights water infrastructure achievements during 14th FYP
cgtn.com
