As of Aug 29, 2023, the middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project has provided more than 20 billion cubic meters of water to Central China's Henan Province, equivalent to one-third of the average annual flow of the Yellow River, according to China South-to-North Water Diversion Corporation Limited.
The middle route spans a total length of 1,432 kilometers, with the Henan section covering 731 kilometers. Henan is the province with the longest section and the highest water allocation along the middle route.
There are 39 diversion gates along the route, supplying water to 11 provincially administered municipalities, 49 county-level cities, and 122 towns and villages in Henan. The route has become an important water source for large and medium-sized cities along the route, bringing significant economic, social, and ecological benefits.
In recent years, the water supply area in Henan, through the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, has continued to expand, and the population benefiting from it has grown annually to reach 29.5 million people. In 2022, the water supply projects in Neixiang County of Nanyang City, the urban area of Pingdingshan City, the Pingyuan urban-rural integration demonstration area and Yuanyang County of Xinxiang City, as well as four counties in Zhumadian City and the western area of Anyang City, were completed and put into operation.
In addition, the Zhengzhou-Kaifeng Eastern Area Water Supply Project (Phase I) is currently under construction. The project will provide water to the eastern region of Zhengzhou City and the urban area of Kaifeng City. The Zhengzhou East Raw Water Main Pipe Project (Phase I) is expected to be completed in June 2024, and will benefit approximately four million people. The Kaifeng section of the project is expected to complete its main construction by the end of December 2023, benefiting around 1.07 million people.
The middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project passes through Jiaozuo City, Henan Province. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
As of Aug 29, 2023, the South-to-North Water Diversion Project's phase I project has diverted more than 58.4 billion cubic meters of water to Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, and Henan for over eight years, becoming a water supply lifeline for many large and medium-sized cities along the route.
The project has provided water to some 200 counties and the urban areas of more than 20 major large and medium-sized cities along the route, with an increasing number of people having benefitted from it. The population directly benefiting from the project has exceeded 85 million people.
The project has fundamentally changed the water supply pattern in areas receiving water, improved water quality, and increased water supply reliability. The water supply guarantee rate for cities receiving water from the project has risen from less than 75 percent to over 95 percent, and the industrial water supply guarantee rate is over 90 percent.
Currently, water from the South-to-North Water Diversion Project accounts for over 70 percent of the water supply in Beijing's urban area, and the main urban area of Tianjin relies primarily on water from the project.
In addition, 11 provincially administered cities in Henan Province use water from the project, with more than 90 percent of residents in Zhengzhou's central urban area relying on it. Thanks to the project, more than five million people in areas such as Cangzhou, Hengshui, and Handan in Hebei Province, have bid farewell to the history of long-term drinking high-fluoride and brackish water.
The phase I of the middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project has promoted high-quality development in regions along the route, and has provided robust water resource support and security for China's modernization efforts.
(Executive editor: Xie Yunxiao)
