BEIJING, June 9 -- China saw expanding investment in its water conservancy facilities in the first five months of 2023, the Ministry of Water Resources said on Friday.

Completed investment in water conservancy projects totaled 410.6 billion yuan (about 57.74 billion U.S. dollars) during the period, up 32.1 percent year on year, according to the ministry.

The country initiated 14,680 new water conservancy projects in the first five months, an increase of 2,785 projects from the previous year.

Water conservancy construction projects created over 1.2 million jobs during the period, including 895,000 jobs for rural workers, it added.