"What they have been doing so far is using engineering solutions to try to physically supply water and fix their water problem," said Mark Wang, a geographer at Melbourne University who studies the impact of China's water infrastructure. "If China can reduce water use and increase efficiency, it doesn't need mega-diversion projects." Total investment in fixed water assets exceeded 1.1 trillion yuan ($154 billion) last year, up 44% compared with 2021, analysts said. It rose 15.6% to 407 billion yuan in the first quarter of 2023 and officials say even more funding will be made available. 'CHAIN REACTIONS'Part of the new plan involves the expansion of the South-North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP), an ambitious engineering project that diverts surplus Yangtze River water to the arid Yellow River basin in the north.

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Persons: Li Guoying, Mark Wang, Wang, Genevieve Donnellon, Gorges, David Stanway, Gerry Doyle Organizations: of Water, Melbourne University, China's Ministry of Water Resources, Oxford Global Society, Diversion, Thomson Locations: China, SINGAPORE, Sichuan, Liangshan County, Poyang Lake, Tibet, India