Chinese capital Beijing is aiming at reducing usage of 40 million cubic meters of water this year, said an official with the Beijing water affairs bureau Sunday.

Monday's Beijing News quotes Jiao Zhizhong, director of the municipal water affairs bureau, as saying that seven work units and two ordinary citizens were awarded "water saving models", and steles will be erected for their achievements in saving water, the first of this kind ever in China.

Jiao notes that Beijing has stipulated seven articles for the above yearly goal, including water usage monitoring equipment that will be installed in newly-built or expansion projects. Half of Beijing families will turn to water-saving facilities, the municipality is expected to build 100-km long tubes for recycled water in 2005, and technique renovation is encouraged for saving water programs.

Figures show that Beijing has reduced its water usage from four billion cubic meters in 2001 to 3.46 billion cubic meters in 2004.

(Xinhua News Agency May 17, 2005)