A huge water project, which aims to throw a lifeline to North China residents, has won approval for its technical detail.

Preparatory work for the trans-regional South-to-North Water Transfer Project has met the technical requirements ahead of construction later this year, said Zhang Jiyao, vice-minister of water resources.

"Consensus has been reached on all aspects of the project, including priorities, layout, water-pollution controls, water-saving measures, protection of ecosystems, investment shares and water pricing," Zhang said.

Problems that threatened the construction of the middle route of the project have been ironed out, said Tang Yuanchang, Chief of the Water-source Construction Project for South-North Water Diversion at the middle line.

Workers are now waiting for the signal from the central government to break ground on the scheme.

The first task is to heighten the dam of the Danjiangkou Reservoir from 157 meters to 170 meters to enlarge storage capacity to 29.05 billion cubic meters from the current level of 11.6 billion.

The reservoir will then extend another 324 square kilometers, affecting more than 250,000 people in Shiyan of Hubei Province and Xichuan County in Henan Province.

Tang said that the first and foremost project is the upraising of the big dam of the Danjiangkou Reservoir once the water-diversion project from south to north is kicked off.

When the big dam is raised the designed water level will be raised from the present 157 meters to 170 meters and the water storage will accordingly reach 29.05 billion cubic meters, an increase of 11.6 billion cubic meters as against the water storage at the very beginning.

The company has so far got ready all preparations in connection with the techniques and work-site and the resettlement of over 2000 emigrants out from the construction site.

The Danjiangkou Reservoir is located at a place of some 800 meters down the confluence of Hanjiang and its tributary Danjiang in the northwest of Hubei Province, the water-head for the water diversion project at the middle line. Initially built and completed in 1966 the reservoir was a water conservancy hinge, the largest of its kind at that time and so far it is still the largest manmade lake in Asia.

Tang Yuanchang said, the raising of the dam at a later stage was taken into consideration at the very beginning of the dam building with necessary measures taken in advance. The project for raising the big dam will last for 5 - 6 years and the designed concrete dam-top will be 176.6 meters high when completed, a raise of 14.6 meters.

The completion of the Danjiangkou Reservoir has played an important role in alleviating the burden of flood control in the middle and lower reaches of the Hanjiang River and even for the areas of the Yangtze River. The annual water-flow in the upper reaches of the reservoir averages 40.9 billion cubic meters with an abundant water supply and the water quality into the reservoir can be above Grade II state standard.

Tang ruled out the possibility that the water project, after being diverted to the North, will impact on water utilization along the middle and lower reaches of Hangjiang River.

This is because water volume during the flood season from July to September accounts for 50 per cent of the annual discharge.

Water levels of the Hanjiang along its lower reaches will be raised to guarantee shipping.

The project, which was first proposed in 1958, aims to divert water from the South to the North to ensure the water supply for farming and industry in northern China, where water shortage is restricting the sustainable development of the economy.

After 40 years of investigation and analysis, the project will have three water diversion routes: the east route, middle route and west route.

The three planned routes are designed to connect the Yangtze with the three largest rivers in the North: the Yellow, the Huaihe and the Haihe rivers.

The construction of each route will be carried out in three phases, Zhang said.

The first and second phases of the east route and the first phase of the middle route will be constructed by 2010.

Total cost of this work will be more than US$22 billion, Zhang said.

Construction of the west route -- the largest of the three -- will cost more than US$36 billion, he added.

The central government will provide 60 percent of the total investment, with the rest coming from local authorities that will benefit from the project, the report stated.

Part of the investment from local governments may be raised by gradually increasing present water-use charges, it stated.

(People's Daily July 22, 2002)