A nationwide information management system for water resources will be set up within the next three years to improve the country's ability to monitor rising water consumption and deteriorating water quality, officials said.

The system, with a total investment of 1.8 billion yuan ($285.5 million), will establish 14,000 water monitoring sites throughout the country to collect local information on water consumption and water quality, according to a statement released at a two-day national working conference on water resources in Beijing that ended on Tuesday.

The move is seen as a major effort by central authorities after the country pledged to launch a stricter water resources management system earlier this year to tackle problems including water scarcity, frequent flooding and droughts, soil erosion and pollution.