Vice Premier Hu Chunhua on May 18 stressed the safety of water supply in the Xiongan New Area and the treatment of groundwater overexploitation in northern China.

Hu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks on his investigation tour to Hebei Province and Beijing.

More should be done to speed up the infrastructure construction of water supply and flood control in the Xiongan New Area, comprehensively improve water security and control the over-exploitation of groundwater in northern China, he said.

Hu urged efforts to speed up the establishment of a multi-dimensional and complementary water source security system and promote the construction of high-level water-saving cities to ensure water supply safety.

A flood control engineering system with high standards should be built to ensure safety, he said.

Comprehensive protection and management of Baiyangdian Lake in Xiongan should be promoted to create a beautiful water ecological environment for the new area, he added.