The opening up of wastelands without a plan and the expansion of irrigated areas have led to the overuse of water in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, according to research conducted by the country's top engineering institution .

The two years of research on water resources in Xinjiang, conducted by the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), suggests the economic restructuring and development of water-saving modern agriculture, along with the speeding up of industrialization and modernization, is necessary to achieve sustainable development in the region.

Given the vulnerable water situation in Xinjiang, the region should not follow the example of some eastern provinces which had pursued a mode of "protecting its environment after it had been polluted," said Qian Zhengying, a CAE academician who is in charge of the research, during a press conference.

More than 100 experts, including 20 academicians, took part in the research that began in September 2007.

The experts also made proposals concerning water conservation facilities, coal fields, tourism and culture industries, and solar energy, among others, for the development of Xinjiang.

The unique natural and geographical conditions in Xinjiang has determined the special strategic significance of water conservation in regional economic and social development.

However, currently 4.63 million farmers and herders in Xinjiang face problems with their drinking water. .

The Ministry of Water Resources announced in September that the central government would assist Xinjiang in building four water security and supporting systems within five to ten years to ensure the safety of the water in the region.

The four systems focus on the reasonable allocation of water, efficient use of water, water security and protection of the water environment.

Agricultural water accounts for 95 percent of Xinjiang's water consumption. However, GDP generated from each cubic meter of agricultural water stands at 1.32 yuan (20 U.S. cents), far below the national level of 7.6 yuan, according to statistics released by the regional department of water resources.