BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- China will invest over 800 billion yuan (122.6 billion U.S. dollars) in large-scale water conservancy projects in 2016, the top economic planner said on Wednesday.

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said in a statement that China's investment in water projects hit all-time high during the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015) and achieved remarkable results.

China invested more than 2 trillion yuan in water conservation during the period, official data showed.

The investment benefited hundreds of millions of people through projects related to drinking water in the countryside, flood control, drought relief, irrigation and rural hydropower.

Taking water security as a national strategy, the government will keep investing in major water projects and encourage private capital to contribute, the NDRC said.