BEIJING, May 4 -- China's top legislature announced Wednesday the beginning of a nationwide inspection on water conservation law enforcement to aid agricultural water conservation and strengthen protection of water resources.

The inspection team should focus on investment in farmland water conservation facilities and promote the use of water-saving irrigation technology, said Ji Bingxuan, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) at a plenary meeting in Beijing.

The inspection should boost water resources and protection of facilities and speed up reform of the property rights system for small farmland water facilities, Ji said.

Farmers should be encouraged and receive guidance in water conservation construction, and reform of the irrigation water pricing mechanism should be accelerated to encourage more economical water use by farmers.

The inspection will start in early May in Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan. The standing committee of the NPC will also authorize another eight provincial-level regions, including Shanxi and Ningxia, to inspect water law enforcement.

China has established a legal system for all aspects of water conservation, including water law, flood control law, soil and water conservation law, water pollution prevention law and regulations on combating drought. Nearly all water-related affairs now are addressed by the laws, according to the NPC meeting proceedings.