BEIJING, May 21 -- China will accelerate the construction of water conservation projects, according to an executive meeting of the State Council chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday.

The meeting urged faster construction of water transfer, reservoir and irrigation schemes, especially in central and western regions suffering water shortages. The move is to improve water use and attract investment, to guarantee water security, help agriculture and alleviate poverty.

The meeting decided that 172 water conservation projects will be launched before 2020, increasing water supply by 80 billion cubic meters every year.

The projects will also save 26 billion cubic meters of water in agricultural production annually and expand irrigation areas of over 78 million mu (5.2 million hectares).