Over 185 Million People Benefit from China's Massive Water Diversion Project
China's massive water diversion initiative provides advantages to more than 185 million individuals.
TroibNews 
More than 185 million individuals in China have gained direct benefits from a significant water diversion initiative that has been channeling water from the abundant southern regions to the drought-affected northern areas over the past decade, officials announced on Thursday.
The South-to-North Water Diversion Project, recognized as the largest of its kind globally, has successfully redirected over 76.7 billion cubic meters of water to northern regions through its middle and eastern pathways during the last ten years.
According to Vice Minister of Water Resources Wang Daoxi, the project has transformed the distribution of water resources in China and brought about increasing economic, social, and ecological advantages, as noted during a recent press conference.
It has facilitated GDP growth exceeding 16 trillion yuan in northern China, with the ministry stating that each 10,000 yuan of GDP in 2023 necessitated an input of 46.9 cubic meters of water.
The project's initial concepts were developed in the 1950s, with the first operational phases of its middle and eastern routes commencing in late 2014. This initiative transports water over vast distances from the water-rich southern regions to the north, where hundreds of millions previously experienced "absolute water scarcity" by United Nations definitions.
The annual volume of water transferred has increased from over 2 billion cubic meters to 10 billion cubic meters, positively impacting 45 large and medium-sized cities along its routes, as mentioned by Wang.
In terms of ecological contributions, the project has provided more than 11.8 billion cubic meters of water for ecological replenishment, effectively addressing the decline in groundwater levels in northern areas.
The project features three distinct routes and spans across four of China's major river basins: the Yangtze, Huaihe, Yellow, and Haihe.
The middle route, which is the most notable, supplies water to Beijing, the capital. It starts at the Danjiangkou Reservoir located in central China's Hubei Province.
The majority of Beijing's drinking water is transported over 1,000 kilometers along this middle route from Danjiangkou. It travels north through canals and pipelines, passes underneath the Yellow River, and finally reaches the city's treatment facilities. Currently, nearly 80 percent of the water consumed in urban Beijing has undergone this 15-day journey from Danjiangkou.
The eastern route of the project moves water from Jiangsu Province in eastern China to areas like Tianjin Municipality and Shandong Province, while the western route is still in the planning phase and has not yet been constructed.
For further details:
10 years of South-to-North Water Diversion Project: Enhancing water supply and ecological restoration.
Jessica Kline contributed to this report for TROIB News
The South-to-North Water Diversion Project, recognized as the largest of its kind globally, has successfully redirected over 76.7 billion cubic meters of water to northern regions through its middle and eastern pathways during the last ten years.
According to Vice Minister of Water Resources Wang Daoxi, the project has transformed the distribution of water resources in China and brought about increasing economic, social, and ecological advantages, as noted during a recent press conference.
It has facilitated GDP growth exceeding 16 trillion yuan in northern China, with the ministry stating that each 10,000 yuan of GDP in 2023 necessitated an input of 46.9 cubic meters of water.
The project's initial concepts were developed in the 1950s, with the first operational phases of its middle and eastern routes commencing in late 2014. This initiative transports water over vast distances from the water-rich southern regions to the north, where hundreds of millions previously experienced "absolute water scarcity" by United Nations definitions.
The annual volume of water transferred has increased from over 2 billion cubic meters to 10 billion cubic meters, positively impacting 45 large and medium-sized cities along its routes, as mentioned by Wang.
In terms of ecological contributions, the project has provided more than 11.8 billion cubic meters of water for ecological replenishment, effectively addressing the decline in groundwater levels in northern areas.
The project features three distinct routes and spans across four of China's major river basins: the Yangtze, Huaihe, Yellow, and Haihe.
The middle route, which is the most notable, supplies water to Beijing, the capital. It starts at the Danjiangkou Reservoir located in central China's Hubei Province.
The majority of Beijing's drinking water is transported over 1,000 kilometers along this middle route from Danjiangkou. It travels north through canals and pipelines, passes underneath the Yellow River, and finally reaches the city's treatment facilities. Currently, nearly 80 percent of the water consumed in urban Beijing has undergone this 15-day journey from Danjiangkou.
The eastern route of the project moves water from Jiangsu Province in eastern China to areas like Tianjin Municipality and Shandong Province, while the western route is still in the planning phase and has not yet been constructed.
For further details:
10 years of South-to-North Water Diversion Project: Enhancing water supply and ecological restoration.
Jessica Kline contributed to this report for TROIB News
