As learned from the Ministry of Finance, central finance will annually allocate special funds beginning from this year to build rainwater storage facilities so as to boost rural water conservancy infrastructure construction and further improve farmers' working and living conditions. The total special fund allocated by central finance in 2004 for the construction of such rainwater storage facilities reached 100 million yuan and has been transmitted to 99 projects in 11 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) including Sichuan and Gansu provinces, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and Chongqing Municipality.

The project is applicable to the arid and semi-arid hills and mountain areas that have an annual precipitation of over 300 mm but cannot be covered by large and medium-sized water conservancy projects and that have the condition to build rainwater storage facilities. These places will mainly build pools and ponds whose capacity is less than 10,000 cubic meters to be used to solve the irrigation water shortages of grain production and crop rotation with due consideration given to solving the problem concerning human and livestock drinking water.

Apart from the fund from central finance, local governments and the general public also raised 93.92 million yuan (including human labor and capital) which are used for the project. After the completion of the project, there will be a total of 66,700 pools and ponds. The estimated irrigation area will cover 183,800 mu (15 mu = one hectare) and 89,000 people will no longer suffer drinking water shortages. It is said that the rainwater storage project will play an active role in guaranteeing farmers�� grain ration and help farmers rid themselves of poverty and become well-off.

By People's Daily Online