China has reversed soil erosion over an area of 960,000 square km, or 10 percent of its total land area, sources with the Ministry of Water Resources said on Thursday.

According to Vice Water Resources Minister E Jingping, over-grazing, deforestation and drought are not the only tale in China's vast rural areas with the nation managing to reverse erosion in many areas and enhance water storage capacity by more than 25 billion cubic meters.

Soil conservation efforts have helped increase grain production by 18 billion kg a year and improved livelihoods for more than 13 million residents in areas affected by soil erosion.

Since 2001, China has spent billions of yuan planting trees, converting marginal farmland to forest and grasslands and fighting soil erosion.

Over more than half a million sq km of land hillsides have been set aside for afforestation or pastures closed to farmers. A total of 350,000 sq km of plants and grassland have been restored and conserved.

E said that 11 major state-level water and soil conservancy projects were currently in operation, covering 500-plus counties and cities.

China is managing to reverse soil erosion in many areas, he said.