Major irrigation system breaks ground in south China

BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- An irrigation system to supply water to over 66,000 hectares of farmland began construction Monday in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Located in the city of Guiping, the irrigation system of the Dateng Gorge water conservancy project is one of the major irrigation systems the country has planned for construction this year.

With a total investment of 8 billion yuan (about 1.2 billion U.S. dollars), the system will be completed in about 60 months.

The irrigated area covered by the system is one of Guangxi's major producers of grain and sugar.

China is accelerating the construction of water conservancy projects amid efforts to expand domestic demand, stabilize its economy, and promote high-quality development.

China's investment in water conservancy facilities jumped 45.5 percent year on year to 195.8 billion yuan in the first four months, said the Ministry of Water Resources.

The country plans to launch more than 30 water conservancy construction projects in 2022, involving about 800 billion yuan.