The amount of money invested in a non-profit project to provide safe drinking water in western China since its launch in 2001 has hit 600 million yuan (about 95 million U.S. dollars), according to the organization which manages it.

The Water Cellar for Mothers Project, has guaranteed supplies of safe drinking water for 1.8 million residents by building 128,000 cellars and 1,400 water supply works by the end of last year, the China Women's Development Foundation (CWDF) announced Thursday.

"The project plays an important role in the national plan of providing access to safe drinking water in rural areas," said Qin Guoying, CWDF Secretary General.

The CWDF launched the scheme to help lift rural residents, especially women, out of poverty in China's drought-plagued regions.