The central government has officially approved the construction of
the multi-billion-dollar project to divert water from southern
China to quench the thirst of its northern neighbors.
Water Resources Vice-Minister Zhang Jiyao said part of the gigantic
project will start by the end of the year.
"After nearly half a century of study and planning, we now can
start putting the project the late Chairman Mao Zedong envisioned
into reality step by step," Zhang said.
The project, mapped out as eastern, central and western diversion
routes across nearly half of China, is aimed at forming a water
network among the nation's longest rivers, including the Yangtze,
Yellow, Huaihe and Haihe rivers.
Zhang said the government plans to invest 154.8 billion yuan
(US$18.65 billion) in the first-phase project of the eastern and
central line project, which will be finished in the next five to 10
years.
The whole project will be completed by 2050.
Zhang did not reveal the total investment required under the
mammoth project, which is expected to cost more than the Three
Gorges Project.
Experts said when the project is completed, the annual diversion
will be equal to the annual run-off of the Yellow River, the
second-longest river in China.
"The south-to-north water diversion project is a mega-project that
is strategically aimed at realizing the optimal allocation of water
resources," Zhang said.
The northern dry areas have one-third of China's population, gross
national product, farmland and grain output. This requires the
State to build the project as quickly as possible, Zhang said.
In
China, water is scarce not only in landlocked areas, but also in
some coastal regions.
A
recent survey shows 400 of 600 major Chinese cities are suffering
from water shortages, which cause economic losses of more than 120
billion yuan (US$14.5 billion) annually.
(China Daily November 26, 2002)