Water resources increase in NW China's Qinghai Province

Strict environmental protection measures have helped increase water resources in northwest China's Qinghai Province in recent years, according to the local water resources authority.

In the last 15 years, water resources have stayed above 70 billion cubic meters, far more than the average of 62.93 billion cubic meters in previous decades, the Qinghai Provincial Water Resources Department said in a statement.

Water resources reached 79.39 billion cubic meters in 2014, it said.

Liu Xining, director of water resources at the department, attributed the growth to consistent environment protection measures. However, he also pointed out that climate change and global warming resulting in increased rainfall also helped with the growth.

Qinghai, located in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, is the source for many of the country's major rivers, including the Yangtze, Yellow River and Lancang River. It is an important water conservation area that influences the overall environment, Liu said.

Qinghai has adhered to high standards in water resource management, and many policies have been adopted across the province to save water, Liu said.

In 2014, Qinghai used 2.63 billion cubic meters of water, less than the target of 3.7 billion, he added.

A major salt lake, Hoh Xil Lake, in the province has more than tripled in size, threatening the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the world's highest. It has prompted local workers to closely monitor the expansion. Endi