BEIJING, Oct. 1, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- A report from China
Daily
On Dec 12, 2014, the
South-to-North Water Diversion Project's central route, which is
designed to transport water from Danjiangkou Reservoir in
Southern China to the arid
northern regions including Beijing
through separate channels, began operation.
Over the past 10 years, the project has benefited more than 100
million people by providing them with quality drinking water. Many
areas have bid farewell to the history of consuming high-fluoride
or salty water.
Today, two out of every three cups of water in Beijing come from the Danjiangkou
Reservoir.
The water from the Danjiangkou Reservoir has also helped
alleviate water shortages in Northern
China. The shallow groundwater levels in many areas have
risen by at least 1 meter. Additionally, ecosystems around lakes
and rivers like Baiyangdian Lake and the Hutuo River have been
restored.
With the water supply, many key national strategies, including
the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei
region, the construction of Xiong'an New Area and the ecological
protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin,
are guaranteed.
Long-term blueprint
The South-to-North Water Diversion Project, initially discussed
by China's leaders in 1952, aimed to divert fresh water from the
Hanjiang River in southern China to the drier and more
industrialized northern regions.
In 1958, the construction of the Danjiangkou Reservoir
commenced, with approximately 100,000 people participating in the
project. From then on, regardless of how the domestic and
international situations changed, regardless of the challenges and
difficulties encountered, the steps to turn the dream into reality
never stopped.
"At the very beginning, the command center was set up on a sand
dredging boat, with all people involved sleeping on the riverbank.
It was only later that oilcloth tents were provided," said
Zhang Rui, deputy director of Social
Education Department at Shi Yan Museum.
In 1967, the Dajiangkou Reservoir began to store water. In 1974,
the construction of the first phase of Danjiangkou Reservoir was
completed.
On July 22, 1980, China's leader
visited the Danjiangkou Reservoir. Since then, research on
transferring water from the Danjiangkou Reservoir to Northern China has advanced in tandem with
China's reform and opening-up policies.
In 2002, the South-to-North Water Diversion Project overall plan
was released, outlining three routes: eastern, central and western.
The scale, scope and population coverage of this project were
unprecedented in history.
On Dec 12, 2014, the central route
project commenced operation. This route interconnects the Yangtze,
Yellow and Haihe rivers.
In the last 10 years, the central route has diverted more than
66 billion cubic meters of water to northern China, nearly one and
a half times the water storage capacity of the Three Gorges
Dam.
Today, China has become the second-largest economy in the world.
The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered an
irreversible historical process.
"The original intention and mission of seeking happiness for the
Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation have
determined that the South-to-North Water Diversion project must be
carried out to the end," said Ye Xueping, director at the Institute
of Economics under Hubei Academy of Social Sciences.
Harmony with nature
The reshaping of landscapes did not lead to ecological
degradation. On the contrary, it has fostered a harmonious
coexistence between humans and nature.
The Danjiangkou Reservoir needs to divert water from the upper
reaches of the Hanjiang River to northern China. Therefore a canal
project, aimed at transferring water from the Yangtze River to the
Hanjiang River, has commenced construction to secure water supply
in the middle and lower reaches of the Hanjiang River.
The nationwide unified scheduling serves as a cohesive strategy,
guaranteeing a consistent water transfer volume to the north while
tackling decreased water levels in the middle and lower reaches of
the Han River following water diversion.
In the past 10 years, Shiyan city has invested more than
30 billion yuan ($4.27 billion) in water quality management,
treatment and protection.
In 2023, the Danjiangkou Reservoir Water Quality Security
Command Center was established in Shiyan City to leverage new
technologies like satellite monitoring and drone patrols for water
quality management.
Starting from the Danjiangkou Reservoir, it takes 15 days for
the water to reach Beijing. Along
the way, 26 large and medium-sized cities that receive this water
have implemented various measures to protect water resources.
Some have constructed ecological protection projects along the
canal to establish ecological corridors; others have enacted
control measures for preventing and treating groundwater pollution,
while some have undertaken the restoration of domestic river
sections, transforming desolate shores into thriving wetlands.
Working toward the same goal
Since the commencement of dam construction, many residents along
the route have been relocated, with some enduring two large-scale
migrations.
Wang Ruiquan, a villager who ran two factories in Mawancun
Village, underwent two migrations in 1965 and 2005. In 2005, he was
the first to agree to the relocation plan.
"It's a national priority project, so it must not be influenced
by any single individual like me," said Wang.
In gratitude to the former residents of the reservoir area, 10
districts of Beijing have
established a long-term cooperation relationship with Shiyan city.
Over the past decade, Beijing has
allocated a total of 2.25 billion
yuan in aid for Shiyan. A total of 54 Beijing-based
enterprises have established operations in Shiyan.
Nine neighboring cities of Shiyan, including Wuhan, Huanggang and Qianjiang, offered favorable land and policies
to migrants to support them in rebuilding their homes.
Over the last 10 years, people in Hubei province and Shiyan attached significant
importance on water protection. A total of 250 voluntary water
protection and conservation groups have been established.
In the future, the dam on the Hanjiang River will continue to
play a key role in protecting the descendants of the Chinese
nation.
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SOURCE China Daily