A reservoir is under contruction in Ximeng county, Southwest China's Yunnan province.[Photo/people.com.cn]

China has resumed construction at almost three-quarters of its 110 major water conservancy projects, despite the novel coronavirus outbreak and unfavorable weather conditions, the Ministry of Water Resources said.

Excluding Hubei province, the center of the outbreak, and Northwest and Northeast China where cold weather still lingers, construction had resumed at about 95 percent of national projects, the ministry said in a release on Monday.

About 47,100 workers are at the construction sites of 80 national projects, which indicates 60 percent of the employees had returned to work.

Regarding epidemic control, the measures the ministry had taken in promoting the resumption of construction had proved to be effective, the release said.

The ministry has designated officials to follow each of the major projects. Aside from learning about the difficulties the projects faced, the officials are also responsible for strengthening coordination of the projects and offering guidance on the way ahead.

The ministry said it will urge the resumption of at least 100 construction projects in Northeast and Northwest China by the end of March.

Many Chinese regions have already seen the majority of water conservancy projects recommence.

In Shandong province, for example, 98 percent of projects launched before the Spring Festival Holiday had resumed by Feb 27, according to the province's water resources authority.

It also said of 1,643 new construction projects the province planned to launch before this year's flood season, 1,481 had commenced.

The provincial authority dispatched seven teams, led by high-ranking officials, to guide local authorities on taking the projects forward, the authority said.

The province has also streamlined communication channels between the construction site operators and local government officials. This will increase local governments' awareness about emerging problems and help them devise solutions.

Some government bodies will also be set deadlines to solve project-related problems, the provincial authority said.

Zhejiang Water Resources Department has dispatched an official to each of its 35 key projects to facilitate their operations. Meanwhile, 11 teams headed by top officials have been established to help local government bodies address challenges the projects face.