BEIJING - A charity program has helped provide safe drinking water to more than 2.4 million rural residents in China since 2000.

The program has financed the construction of about 135,000 water tanks and 1,600 small water supply projects in 25 provincial divisions, said a statement from the China Women's Development Foundation, the program's sponsor, in Beijing on Wednesday.

About 850 million yuan ($138 million) has been spent on these projects, the statement said.

The program was designed to help rural women and families living in regions troubled by drought and poverty.

A considerable number of Chinese residents do not have access to safe drinking water. Most are living in remote and mountainous regions lacking water supply and regions that are short of rainfall.

According to the latest official figures, about 96.79 million rural Chinese did not have access to safe drinking water in 2010. The Chinese government promised to solve this problem by 2015.

In his government work report in March, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also promised to provide safe drinking water for 60 million rural residents this year.