Water Transfer Project in China

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It is reported that huge water project which aims to throw a lifeline to North China residents has won approval for its technical detail.

Preparatory work for the trans-regional“South-to-North Water Transfer” Project has met the technical requirements ahead of construction later this year，said Zhang Jiyao，vice-minister of water resources.

“Consensus has been reached on all aspects of the project，including priorities，layout，water-pollution controls，water-saving measures，protection of ecosystems，investment shares and water pricing，”Zhang said.

Workers are now waiting for the signal from the central government to break ground on the scheme.The first task is to heighten the dam of the Danjiangkou Reservoir from 157 metres to 170 metres to enlarge storage capacity to 29.05 billion cubic metres from the current level of 11.6 billion.

The reservoir will then extend another 324 square kilometres，affecting morethan 250 000 people in Shiyan of Hubei Province and Xichuan County in Henan Province.According to plans drafted last year，the expanded Dan jiangkou Reservoir will provide 9.5 billion cubic metres of water annually to Beijing，Tianjin，and cities in Hebei，Henan and Hubei provinces.It will be able to provide 13-14 billion cubic metres by 2030.Tang ruled out the possibility that the water project，after being diverted to the North，will impact on water utilization along the middle and lower reaches of Hanjiang River.

Water levels of the Hanjiang along its lower reaches will be raised to guarantee shipping.The project，which was first proposed in 1958，aims to divert water from the South to the North to ensure the water supply for farming and industry in northern China，where water shortage is restricting the sustainable development of the economy.

After 40 years of investigation and analysis，the project will have three water diversion routes:the east route，middle route and west route.The three planned routes are designed to connect the Yangtze with the three largest rivers in the North:the Yellow，the Huaihe and the Haihe rivers.