URUMQI, July 8 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government has allocated 830 million yuan (about 120.5 million U.S. dollars) to support building water conservancy projects in southern Xinjiang this year, local government sources said.

Besides, the government has also spent 1.77 billion yuan on the construction of new supporting facilities in the region's irrigated areas and transformation of water-saving irrigation, according to the water conservancy department of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The four prefectures in southern Xinjiang including the Kashgar Prefecture and the Hotan Prefecture face severe water shortage and extreme poverty, but the conservancy projects over the years have improved the farming conditions and benefited locals, said an official with the department.

Over the years, the Chinese government has enhanced its efforts in improving the imbalanced water resources in Xinjiang with major water conservancy projects, which has provided both the water for farming and the domestic water use in water-deficient areas.