LHASA, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- New water conservation projects in Tibet have made clean water available to over 900,000 local people since 2011 thanks to surging investment into the southwest China region.

The Ministry of Water Resources said on Sunday the government intensified effort during 2011 to 2015 to solve water shortage in Tibet, with around 750,000 rural dwellers and 150,000 urban residents benefited and fresh water channeled to more than 1,400 temples.

The results are attributable to the central government's investment on water conservation, which is expected to reach 22.8 billion yuan (around 3.5 billion U.S. dollars) at the end of the year, over triple the amount during 2006 to 2010.

Besides water supply, the projects generate electricity for local residents, control water and soil loss and help protect the environment.

The ministry promised more efforts to guarantee fresh water, protect natural resources and improve people's livelihood in the next five years.