QUITO - Ecuador inaugurated a dam built by a Chinese construction company on the left bank of the Bulubulu River, local media reported Tuesday.

The Maravillas dam, carried out by China Gezhouba Group Corporation (CGGC), consists of a concrete wall of 2,800 meters in length. The height of the structure varies from seven to 13 meters.

The 57-million-US-dollar project is expected to protect local communities in the provinces of Guayas and Canar.

The dam, composed of three gates that control up to 600 cubic meters of water per second, is capable of storing water in a reservoir of 16 million cubic meters, of which 14 million will be used to irrigate 2,000 hectares of crops in the dry season.

The Ecuadorian authorities believe that the dam will benefit over 65,000 farmers and also boost the local production of sugarcane to produce clean fuels like ethanol.

This is the second of 16 water megaprojects that the Ecuadorian government plans to build with a total investment of 2,500 million dollars, said Walter Solis, head of the Ministry of Water.