South-to-North Water Diversion Middle Route Completed

(Asahi, Japan) A massive construction project to alleviate water shortages in northern China is closer to becoming a reality. Construction work on the 1,432-kilometer central canal of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project, which will route water resources from the Yangtze River basin to Beijing and surrounding areas in the north was completed on Dec. 25, state-run Xinhua News Agency said.

The canal will be filled next year following supplementary work. The project, decades in the making, will eventually comprise three canals. "This infrastructure work is part of the nation's strategy to promote sustainable economic development," Premier Li Keqiang said. The eastern canal, which will link Jiangsu province to Tianjin and elsewhere, has been partially completed, whereas the western canal remains in the planning stage.

The just-completed central route starts from the Danjiangkou Reservoir, which straddles Henan and Hubei provinces, and crosses the Yellow River before reaching Beijing. It cost 201.3 billion yuan (3.4 trillion yen, or $33 billion) to build, Xinhua reported. More than 300,000 people who lived near the Danjiangkou Reservoir have been evicted since construction began in December 2003.

Still, critics have raised questions over the potential effectiveness of the water transfer project. Some experts expressed concern over the negative impact the project will have on ecosystems along the Yangtze River, whereas others have pointed out the increased risk of drought it could have on southern China.

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