BEIJING, April 10 (Xinhua) -- China made solid progress in water infrastructure construction in the first quarter (Q1) of 2026, with more newly launched major projects, steady investment growth and a record high in social capital input, the Ministry of Water Resources announced at a press conference on Friday.

From January to March, 15 major water conservancy projects broke ground -- seven more than the same period last year, with a total investment of 147.5 billion yuan (about 21.49 billion U.S. dollars).

During this period, the country completed 207 billion yuan in water conservancy investment, a year-on-year increase of 4.1 percent. A total of 24,231 water projects were under construction, creating 670,000 jobs.

Social capital input in water conservancy hit a record high of 43.4 billion yuan, up 16.4 percent year on year, supported by policies to attract social capital via equity investment and franchising.

Fiscal support was also strengthened. So far, 82.9 billion yuan of central water conservancy investment for 2026 has been allocated, faster than the same period last year. Local government special bonds for water projects reached 48.8 billion yuan in the first quarter of this year, a year-on-year surge of 69.1 percent.

In 2026, the ministry plans to advance the modernization of irrigation areas by accelerating key projects, including the renovation of Dujiangyan in southwestern Sichuan Province. At the same time, it will coordinate the development of backbone irrigation projects and high-standard farmland, aiming to improve the irrigation and drainage system from water sources to farmland. ■