South–North Water Transfer Project

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South–North Water Transfer Project
Project logo
Traditional Chinese	南水北調工程
Simplified Chinese	南水北调工程
Literal meaning	Southern Water Northern Diversion Project
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Nánshuǐ Běidiào Gōngchéng Wade–Giles Nan-shui P'ei-tiao Kung-ch'eng

The South–North Water Transfer Project, also translated as the South-to-North Water Diversion Project,^[1] is a multi-decade infrastructure mega-project in China that aims to channel 44.8 cubic kilometers (44.8 billion cubic meters) of fresh water each year^[2] from the Yangtze River in southern China to the more arid and industrialized north through three canal systems:^[3]

• The Eastern Route through the course of the Grand Canal;
• The Central Route from the upper reaches of the Han River (a tributary of the Yangtze) via the Grand Aqueduct to Beijing and Tianjin;
• The Western Route, which goes from three tributaries of the Yangtze near Bayankala Mountain to the provinces of Qinghai, Gansu, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia.^[4]

Mao Zedong discussed the idea for a mass engineering project as an answer to China's water problems as early as 1952. He reportedly said, "there's plenty of water in the south, not much water in the north. If at all possible, borrowing some water would be good".^[5][6][7] Construction of the project began in 2003.^[8]

By 2014, more than $79 billion had been spent, making it one of the most ambitious and expensive engineering projects in human history.^{[9][better source needed]}

The Eastern Route Project (ERP), or Jiangdu Hydro Project, consists of an upgrade to the Grand Canal and will be used to divert a fraction of the total flow of the Yangtze River to northern China. According to local hydrologists, the entire flow of the Yangtze at the point of its discharge into the East China Sea is, on average, 956 km³ per year; the annual flow does not fall below approximately 600 km³ per year, even in the driest years.^[10] As the project progresses, the amount of water to be diverted to the north will increase from 8.9 km³/year to 10.6 km³/year to 14.8 km³/year.^[10]

Water from the Yangtze River will be drawn into the canal in Jiangdu, where a giant 400 m³/s (12.6 km³/year if operated continuously) pumping station was built in the 1980s. The water will then be pumped by stations along the Grand Canal and through a tunnel under the Yellow River and down an aqueduct to reservoirs near Tianjin. Construction on the Eastern route officially began on 27 December 2002, and water was expected to reach Tianjin by 2013. However, in addition to construction delays, water pollution has affected the viability of the route. Initially, the route was expected to provide water for the provinces of Shandong, Jiangsu, and Hebei, with trial operations to begin in mid-2013. Water started arriving in Shandong in 2014, and it is expected one cubic kilometer of water will have been transferred in 2018.^[11]

As of October 2017, water had reached Tianjin. Tianjin is expected to receive 1 km³/year.^[12] The Eastern route is not expected to supply Beijing, which is to be supplied by the central route.^[13]

The completed line will be slightly over 1,152 km (716 miles) long, equipped with 23 pumping stations with a power capacity of 454 megawatts.^[14]

An important element of the Eastern Route will be a tunnel crossing under the Yellow River, on the border of Dongping and Dong'e counties of Shandong Province. The crossing will consist of two 9.3 m diameter horizontal tunnels, positioned 70 m under the bed of the Yellow River.^[14][10]

Due to the topography of the Yangtze Plain and the North China Plain, pumping stations will be needed to raise water from the Yangtze to the Yellow River crossing; farther north, the water will be flowing downhill in an aqueduct.^[10]

The central route, known colloquially as the Grand Aqueduct, runs from Danjiangkou Reservoir on the Han River, a tributary of the Yangtze, to Beijing. This project involved raising the height of the Danjiangkou Dam by increasing the dam's crest elevation from 162 m to 176.6 m above sea level. This addition to the dam's height allows the water level in the reservoir to rise from 157 m to 170 m above sea level and thus permits the flow into the water diversion canal to begin downhill, pulled by gravity into the lower elevation of the canals.^[15]

The central route crosses the North China Plain. The canal was constructed to create a continuous downhill flow all the way from the Danjiangkou Reservoir to Beijing without the need for pumping stations.^[15] The greatest engineering challenge of the route was building two tunnels under the Yellow River to carry the canal's flow. Construction on the central route began in 2004. In 2008, the 307 km-long northern stretch of the central route was completed at a cost of $2 billion. Water in that stretch of the canal does not come from the Han River but from reservoirs in Hebei Province, south of Beijing. Farmers and industries in Hebei had to cut back on water consumption to allow for water to be transferred to Beijing.^[16]

On mapping services, one can see the canal's intake at the Danjiangkou Reservoir (32°40′26″N 111°42′32″E / 32.67389°N 111.70889°E / 32.67389; 111.70889); its crossing of the Baihe River north of Nanyang, Henan (33°6′41″N 112°37′30″E / 33.11139°N 112.62500°E / 33.11139; 112.62500); the Shahe River in Lushan County (33°42′49″N 112°56′40″E / 33.71361°N 112.94444°E / 33.71361; 112.94444); the Ying River in Yuzhou (34°11′05″N 113°26′18″E / 34.18472°N 113.43833°E / 34.18472; 113.43833); and the Yellow River northeast of Zhengzhou (34°52′55″N 113°13′14″E / 34.88194°N 113.22056°E / 34.88194; 113.22056); as well as its entrance into the southwestern suburbs of Beijing at the Juma River in Zhuozhou, Hebei (39°30′26.3″N 115°47′30.2″E / 39.507306°N 115.791722°E / 39.507306; 115.791722).

The whole project was expected to be completed around 2010. Final completion was on 12 December 2014, to allow for more environmental protection along the route. One problem was the impact of the project on the Han River below the Danjiangkou Dam,^[5] from which approximately one-third of the route's total water is diverted. One long-term solution being considered is to build another canal to divert water from the reservoir at the Three Gorges Dam to Danjiangkou Reservoir.^[17] Construction of this project, named the Yinjiangbuhan tunnel, was announced in July 2022. It is set to take an estimated ten years to complete.^[18]

Another major challenge was the resettlement of around 330,000 people who lived near Danjiangkou Reservoir at its former lower elevation and along the route of the project. On 18 October 2009, Chinese officials began to relocate residents from the areas of Hubei and Henan provinces that would be affected by the project.^[19] The completed route of the Grand Aqueduct is about 1,264 km long and initially provided 9.5 km³ of water annually. By 2030, the project is slated to increase this transfer to 12–13 km³ per year.^[14] Although the transfer will be lower in dry years, it is projected that it will be able to provide a flow of at least 6.2 km³/year at all times with 95% confidence.^[15]

Industries are prohibited from locating on the reservoir's watershed to keep its water drinkable.^[20]

South–North Water Transfer Project Central route starting point in Xichuan County, Nanyang, Henan

There are long-standing plans to divert about 200 cubic kilometers of water per year from the upstream sections of six rivers in southwestern China, including the Mekong (Lancang River), the Yarlung Zangbo (called Brahmaputra further downstream), and the Salween (Nu River), to the Yangtze River, the Yellow River, and ultimately to the dry areas of northern China through a system of reservoirs, tunnels, and natural rivers.^[21]

In 2008, construction costs for the eastern and central routes was estimated to be 254.6 billion yuan ($37.44 billion). The government had budgeted only 53.87 billion yuan ($7.9 billion), less than a quarter of the total cost, at that time. This included 26 billion from the central government and special accounts, 8 billion from local governments, and almost 20 billion in loans. As of 2008, around 30 billion yuan had been spent on the construction of the eastern (5.66 billion yuan) and central routes (24.82 billion yuan). Costs of the projects have increased significantly.^[14]

The project required resettling at least 330,000 people in central China.^[22] Critics have warned the water diversion will cause environmental damage, and some villagers said officials had forced them to sign agreements to relocate.^[22]

In 2013, Radio Free Asia reported that fish farmers on Dongping Lake, on the project's eastern route, in Shandong, claimed that the polluted Yangtze River water entering the lake was killing their fish.^[23] Subsequent scientific research showed that the water diversion improved the water environment of Dongping Lake.^[24][25]

Scientists have been concerned that the project will increase water evaporation loss. The exact amount of evaporation loss is not known, but it may be improved in the future as more water is transferred and the flow rate increases.^[26]

• Water resources of China
• Meng Xuenong, the project's deputy director (2003–2007)
• Irtysh–Karamay–Ürümqi Canal, in Xinjiang province
• Central Yunnan Water Diversion Project, similar project under construction in southern China

• Official website: 中国南水北调 Archived 31 August 2003 at the Wayback Machine (in Chinese) / South-to-North Water Diversion Archived 25 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine (in English)
• "Thirsty China to divert the mighty Yangtze", CNN, 15 November 2001
• Water industry article
• "Beneath Booming Cities, China's Future Is Drying Up", The New York Times, 28 September 2007
• Map of the South–North Water Transfer Project at The New York Times

30°02′30″N 90°36′00″E / 30.0417°N 90.6000°E / 30.0417; 90.6000