WATER WAY: In Beijing, the main canal of the middle route of the south-to-north water diversion project runs parallel with the express railway that connects Beijing and Shijiazhuang, capital city of Hebei Province (YANG SHIYAO)

The environmental protection bureau of central China's Henan Province said on December 14 that the province's 12 cities, including the provincial capital of Zhengzhou, have started testing the quality of water diverted from the south.

Water temperature, pH value, and the index of chemical composition such as dissolved oxygen, ammonia nitrogen and permanganate are to be tested. So far, there have been no reported problems in Henan, said Zhou Wenxian of the provincial environmental protection bureau.

Areas along the route have emergency response mechanisms. If the water in the trunk channel is found to be polluted, it will be diverted.

"The water diversion project is by no means a final solution to ease Beijing's water shortage," said Sun Guosheng, chief of Beijing's Office of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, in an interview with Xinhua News Agency.

Sun said the government should use the price leverage to encourage the public to save water. "To save is to survive," he said. "Individuals and businesses should all use the tap sparingly, and heavy fines should be levied for wasting water."

"Despite all these efforts, easing the drought in Beijing and north China in general requires the public to use water more efficiently," said Xu of Beijing Normal University.

"Most Beijing residents are unaware of the city's water shortages," said Xu. "It's important to raise public awareness of water conservation and promote water-saving household appliances."

"Hundreds of thousands of people's sacrifice and work for the project to alleviate water shortage in the arid north and the better use of the water is crucial for the country's sustainable development," said Jiang Xuguang, Deputy Director of SNWDPC. 

South-to-North Water Diversion Project

December 25, 2013: the main work of the middle route of the project was completed.

September 2012: relocation of residents near the Danjiangkou reservoir area was completed.

March 31, 2010: all 54 dams of Danjiangkou Reservoir were raised to their highest level, from 14.6 meters to 176.6 meters, to shore up to 29 billion cubic meters of water from rivers including the Hanjiang River, a major tributary of the Yangtze River.

February 26, 2009: major work on the middle route involving seven provinces started.

September 26, 2005: a project began to heighten the dams of the Danjiangkou Reservoir, so as to expand the storage capacity of the water source of the middle route.

December 30, 2003: construction of the first phase project of the middle route began.

December 27, 2002: construction of the project started from the eastern route in Shandong and Jiangsu provinces.

December 23, 2002: the project was officially approved by the State Council.

June 5, 2000: after decades of research and discussion, the project was set to include three routes--eastern, middle and western--to take water from the Yangtze River.

(Source: Xinhuanet.com)