BEIJING - China's central government spent 365.5 billion yuan ($55.38 billion) on water conservancy during the past five years, more than double the amount spent during the 2001-2005 period, the Ministry of Finance announced on Jan 31.

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The government spent 231.5 billion yuan on water conservation projects during the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010) to fund the construction of the South-North Water Diversion Project, reinforce aging reservoirs and harness inland waterways, said a statement on the ministry's website.

The country also allocated 34.97 billion yuan during the past five years to build irrigation facilities and other farmland irrigation projects nationwide, said the statement.

The increased spending on water conservation played a significant role in managing water flows China's major rivers and seven consecutive years of good harvests, the statement said.

The government plans to invest 4 trillion yuan in water conservation over the next 10 years as many cities face water shortages and irrigation facilities are badly in need of overhaul, the Communist Party of China Central Committee's Leading Group on Rural Work has announced.

The government Saturday issued a document that makes water conservancy construction a priority task.