Water from the South Eases Beijing's Thirst

   2012-11-22 20:17:28    Xinhua      Web Editor: Liuyuanhui

Water supplies began being channelled to arid Beijing from wetter parts of the country for the fourth time on Thursday. As part of the country's dogged efforts to better allocate water reserves, China is transferring a total of 300 million cubic meters of water from a reservoir located 307 kilometers away from Beijing in north China's Hebei Province. According to the Office of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project Commission, the water transfer work will wrap up by May 2013. It will mark the fourth water transmission to the country's capital through the middle route of the south-to-north water diversion project since August 2008. Beijing has received 1.38 billion cubic meters of water over the past four years. The water quality was above level two, which meets daily drinking water standards. As a new strategic water reserve for the capital, the transferred water has accounted for over half of the total water supply in Beijing's urban areas in daily peak usage hours, statistics show. The south-to-north water diversion project, including an eastern route, a middle route and a western route, is set to take water from south China's Yangtze River to dry areas in the north. Construction of the middle route was initiated in 2003.