SHIJIAZHUANG, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in Beijing and neighboring Hebei Province are working jointly to guarantee safe drinking water for Beijing.

According to Hebei's provincial department of finance, starting Monday, the province began to implement a guideline, which sees Hebei authorities designate funds to protect the eco-environment of the Chaobai River, the upstream of the Miyun Reservoir, a major water source in Beijing.

Hebei and Beijing authorities inked a deal in 2018, agreeing to jointly protect the eco-environment of the Chaobai River. According to the agreement, from 2018 to 2020, 2.1 billion yuan (305 million U.S. dollars) from the central government, Beijing and Hebei will be allocated for the protection project.

The money is mainly used in areas such as water environment treatment, eco-system restoration and protection of water resources.