The Chinese capital of Beijing has expanded its water reserves through the drilling of 42 new wells on its northern outskirtan area, the Beijing Times reports Thursday.

The wells are located in northern Beijing's Huairou county, where a big reservoir has already been providing huge quantities of water to Beijing residents for decades.

The wells, which will provide an emergency water supply in the event of acute water shortages, have an annual capacity of 120 million cubic meters for two years running, or 335,000 cubic meters per day.

Beijing municipality, which has been in insufficient water supply for years, has to seek new water sources to avoid the excessive exploitation of its groundwater before the year 2010, the completion year for the on-going gigantic south-to-north water diversion project.

The wells are expected to go into operation by June of 2004, according to the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Water Resources.

(People's Daily February 13, 2003)