 |
| China accelerates south-north water project |
WUHAN, May 28 (Xinhua) -- China is accelerating the construction of a massive project aimed at diverting water to meet growing demand in the parched north, project authorities said.
The south-to-north water diversion project will divert water from the Yangtze River to the dry north via three routes: eastern, middle and western.
"The construction of the south-to-north water project is going according to plan and being accelerated," according to a statement from the Office of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project Commission of the State Council (SNWDPC) on Thursday.
A number of construction projects have been completed or are near completion. By the end of March, 40.896 billion yuan (5.99 billion U.S. dollars) had been spent in constructing the middle and central routes, from the earmarked total of 90.6 billion yuan.
A tunnel on the eastern route, 70 meters below the northern section of the Yellow River, was dug through on March 25 in Shandong Province, so that water from the Yangtze River could pass under the Yellow River.
Another tunnel for the middle route will be completed in June, said Du Bingzhao, a spokesman for the SNWDPC.
The dam of Danjiangkou Reservoir which forms the border between central Hubei and Henan provinces, from which the water is channeled to the north in the middle route, has been heightened from 162 meters to 176.6 meters, increasing the water volume from 17.45 billion to 29.05 billion cubic meters, the statement said.
