BEIJING — China's investment in water conservancy facilities reached 107.7 billion yuan (about $16.92 billion) during the first quarter of the year, Zhang Xiangwei, an official with the Ministry of Water Resources, said on April 8.

The figure was up 35 percent from the same period last year, Zhang said at a press conference.

During the first quarter, local authorities swiftly repaired water conservancy facilities that were damaged in the flood season last year such as reservoirs and dikes.

By the end of March, almost 80 percent of the damaged water conservancy facilities had been repaired, Zhang said, adding that the remaining 20 percent will be repaired before the main flood season this year.

Wei Shanzhong, vice-minister of water resources, said a number of water conservancy projects will start construction in 2022 and annual investment in water projects is expected to reach 800 billion yuan.