BEIJING -- China will invest 2 trillion yuan ($303 billion) into water projects during the next five years, said an official with the Ministry of Water Resources on Thursday.

Half of the investment will come from central government coffers, said Zhou Xuewen, who is in charge of project planning with the ministry.

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In the year 2011 alone, the central government will invest more than 20 billion yuan to push forward construction of key projects. The investment will also go into projects to provide 60 million more people with access to safe drinking water in rural areas, Zhou said.

By the end of 2011, 77 percent of rural people will have access to safe drinking water, he said. Meanwhile, the ministry will continue to fix old reservoirs and embankments with safety problems as fixing and building water infrastructure is the ministry's strategic focus this year, he added.

China's investment in water projects during the past five years surpassed 700 billion yuan, higher than any previous five-year periods, said Chen Lei, minister of water resources.