URUMQI, Feb. 7 -- Around 480,000 rural residents in China's far western Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region will have access to clean and safe drinking water this year, said the regional government on Friday.

The central authorities and regional government will invest 329 million yuan (about 54 million U.S. dollars) in 2015 to water projects, according to the regional development and reform commission.

By the end of this year, more than 3.4 million residents and 440,000 teachers and students in rural and pastoral areas of Xinjiang will gain access to drinking water that meets safety standard, the commission said.

Since 2011, Xinjiang has planned to spend more than three billion yuan in building water supply projects, especially in rural areas.