WUHAN, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Central China's Hubei Province plans to spend two billion yuan (290 million U.S. dollars) this year controlling soil erosion, the provincial department of water resources said Wednesday.

Eroded soil in Hubei accounts for about one fifth of the total area of the province with an estimated 125 million tonnes of soil washed or blown away each year.

The department's Wu Zunxiong said solving the problem would mean terracing a large number of sloping fields, planting forests and encourage private capital to invest in erosion control.

Located along the Yangtze River, Hubei is home to the Three Gorges and the middle route for China's south-to-north water diversion project.

The province spent nine billion yuan on soil erosion control between 2011 and 2015.