BEIJING — China has seen growing investment in water conservancy infrastructure in the first seven months of this year as the country steps up efforts to bolster economic growth.

From January to July, completed investments in water conservancy projects totaled 567.5 billion yuan (about $83.9 billion), up 71.4 percent over the same period in 2021, the Ministry of Water Resources said on Aug 10.

Twenty-five new large-scale water conservancy projects were initiated during the January to July period this year, with project construction creating some 1.61 million jobs across the country.

By the end of July, local governments had invested 46.6 billion yuan in rural water supply projects, more than double that of the same period last year.

A total of 67,000 water supply repair and maintenance projects were undertaken during the period, serving 130 million rural people.

Water conservancy infrastructure could help absorb large investments and create intensive jobs in the short term. It could also safeguard food security, facilitate green development, and relieve natural disasters in the long run.

China is expected to complete investments of more than 800 billion yuan in water conservancy construction in 2022.