China's capital will spend 118 million yuan ($18.66 million) by the end of the year to improve the quality of drinking water drawn from wells, the city's water resource management authorities said Wednesday.

The quality of drinking water for about 300,000 people will be greatly improved following technical modifications to 54 wells, the Beijing Water Authority said.

Improvements will first be made to wells that are known to have safety risks, as well as those that serve areas that do not have access to tap water.

Beijing has been plagued by droughts for 13 consecutive years, with its fast-paced economic development and ever-growing population exacerbating the water shortage.

The available per capita water usage in Beijing has dropped to less than 100 cubic meters, far less than the internationally acknowledged warning level.

The capital has about 4,000 wells to supply water for both drinking and industrial production.

(Xinhua News Agency May 23, 2012)