A staff member cleans up floating debris on Xuanwu Lake in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province, as part of World Water Day efforts to preserve the aquatic ecological environment on March 22, 2026. Photo: VCG

China's Ministry of Water Resources announced on Sunday, marking the 34th World Water Day, that the country has established the world's largest and most comprehensive water infrastructure network, covering 80.3 percent of the country's land area and supporting water allocation, flood control and ecological protection, the Global Times learned from the ministry's website. 

Regarding rural water supply, China has completed 82,900 rural water supply projects, improving water access for 495 million rural residents. Rural tap water coverage has reached 96 percent and large-scale water supply systems are now serving 71 percent of the rural population, according to a statement from the Ministry of Water Resources. 

Meanwhile, the number of water projects in China has hit a new record, with about 95,000 reservoirs and dams nationwide and a total storage capacity exceeding 1 trillion cubic meters, making China the country with the largest number of reservoirs, the largest number of high dams, and the most complete range of dam types in the world, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Sunday. 

While ensuring development, China has continued to lead in water use efficiency. Despite major increases in economic output and consecutive years of rising grain production, the country's total annual water consumption has consistently been kept below 610 billion cubic meters, according to CCTV. 

China's water conservation has shifted from a passive response to water scarcity to a proactive, strategic priority aimed at ensuring water security for Chinese modernization, according to the ministry. 

In addition, China's national water network now links southern and northern regions. Over 87 billion cubic meters of water have been diverted north through the first phase of the eastern and middle routes of China's South-to-North Water Diversion Project, benefiting 195 million people, according to the ministry. 

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), China added over 53 million mu (3.53 million hectares) of irrigated farmland. By the end of 2025, 6,924 medium- and large-sized irrigation districts had been completed, and the total irrigated farmland nationwide exceeded 1.09 billion mu. Grain production from irrigated farmland accounts for 80.76 percent of the country's total grain output, providing a solid water infrastructure foundation for national food security, CCTV reported. 

Since 2022, China has selected 88 rivers and lakes across the country to promote the river revitalization initiative. Tailored management and protection plans have been developed for each river and lake, achieving significant results, with previously dry rivers flowing again and shrinking lakes being restored, according to the ministry. 

By restoring river and lake ecosystems, the condition of fish has also significantly improved. In the Yangtze River Basin, since 2011, the water authorities have conducted ecological regulation experiments to promote natural fish reproduction in the Three Gorges Reservoir for 15 consecutive years. In 2025, two ecological regulation operations were carried out in the Three Gorges Reservoir to support fish spawning. Combined with a 10-year fishing ban and water pollution prevention measures, these efforts have significantly improved the aquatic ecology and water environment of the Yangtze River, according to the ministry. 

China has digitized 26 million water objects, including rivers, lakes, and hydraulic projects, using satellites, radars, and monitoring stations, creating a digital twin system that serves as a smart "brain" for water network management, according to CCTV. 

By coupling real-time sensing data with hydrological models, the system provides four key forecasting functions - prediction, early warning, simulation, and contingency planning - for integrated water network management. In recent years, it has played a key role in flood control in the Haihe River Basin, water supply security in the Taihu Lake Basin, and ice-season water delivery for the middle route of China's South-to-North Water Diversion Project, CCTV reported.

In the future, China plans to enhance its digital twin water system, making the national water network smarter and fully digital to ensure water security in key regions including the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, according to CCTV.