The NPC Nationalities Committee called on December 26 morning its 13th meeting and heard a report by Minister Zhang Chunyuan of the Ministry of Water Resources on the work of water conservancy construction in China's five major ethnic minority areas in the past 50 years since the founding of the People's Republic.

Vice Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee Tomur Dawamat was present and delivered a speech at the meeting. When speaking about the country's great success to that end he pointed out that more practical work should be done to ensure new economic advances and a continued raise of people's living standards in the ethnic minority areas in China.

In the past 50 years, according to Minister Zhang, China has altogether had 5497 reservoirs constructed and an irrigated acreage of 132 million mu of new farmland developed from 2670, hence a great improvement in local farm production in the country's five ethnic minority areas. This has made no exception with the country's pastoral areas with water conservancy construction having been launched totally from scratch. With more than 420,000 water conservancy projects built there is already a total of 120,000 square kilometers of new grasslands that have been put under irrigation along with 48,000 square kilometers of old grasslands with improved conditions in bringing a considerable improvement of life by herdsmen on the pastoral lands. With these, there is altogether a total of 209 million of people and 134 million head of cattle mostly in the minority nationality areas having been helped out of difficulties from a lack of water supply. Large and medium-sized hydropower stations now undertaken in construction in the ethnic minority areas will boost a generating capacity of over 10 million KW, about one fifth of the national total. Speedy advances have also been made in small-sized hydropower generation and rural electrification all over China.

When affirming the great work of China's success in water conservancy construction in the minority nationalities areas Vice Chairman Tour Dawamat further reminded the whole attendance at the NPC Nationalities Committee meeting of the great strategy in opening up the western part of the country's territorial land. He demands strengthening of the country's infrastructure and ecological construction. He points out water conservancy construction in the ethnic minority areas has not been well proportionally developed: Some places are still found suffering from a lack of water and power supply and this has affected economic development in these areas. Full attention should be given to a strengthening of water conservancy and ecological construction in the minority nationalities; a good job should be done of the planning work for water conservancy and ecological construction, he said. Government authorities concerned must see to it that effective practical measures be adopted to beef up the construction of large-scale water conservancy projects, with new economic growth points cultivated, and the abilities raised to fight against nature disasters in the ethnic minority areas. For improved construction work by the Ministry of Water Resources, many and varied opinions and suggestions had been voiced by members on the NPC Standing Committee at the meeting after hearing Minister Zhang's report. Minister Wang Chaowen of the NPC Nationalities Committee presided over the meeting.