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S China region gets $247m help for drought

By Zheng Jinran (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-08-24 17:31

The government of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in South China will allocate about 1.68 billion yuan ($247 million) to some projects to guarantee 3 million rural residents' access to safe drinking water in one year, gxnews.com.cn reported on Tuesday.

The projects, including rain collecting, will be built in the Dashishan mountainous area, which is greatly in need of water. Large government procurement for projects will go to the companies that win bids, and those projects will be under close government supervision.

From August 2009 to April 2010, Guangxi was hit by a long drought, which was the most severe in 60 years.

The autonomous region’s government also plans to provide safe drinking water to all rural residents by 2013.