Water diversion project holds open day in Beijing

The Beijing Sub-Bureau of the central route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project hosted an open day in Beijing's Fangshan district on Tuesday. More than 60 public visitors took close looks at the project and examined the water quality.

Since the central route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project was put into operation in 2014, over 23.7 billion cubic meters of water has been diverted to Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei province, and Henan province, benefiting more than 53 million people.

During the open day event, visitors were briefed on the operation of the project, learned about the challenges encountered by the project's engineers, as well as the social, economic, and ecological progress it has made for the areas along the route.

"The water transferred to Beijing through the project looks very clear and good to drink," said a resident from Beijing's a community in Chaoyang district as he checked out the water quality along the route. "I just had a cup of tea made using the water. It tasted very nice."

The Beijing sub-bureau has run the project for 1,726 days without any accidents. The South-to-North Water Diversion Project brought Beijing nearly 5 billion cubic meters of water from Danjiankou Reservoir, benefiting about 11 million local residents in Beijing. The water from the project has greatly increased water supplies in Beijing and secured its urban water supply. It also has effectively supported the conservation and recovery of the city's underground water, and helped to curb the excessive extraction.

"The open-day activity really broadened my mind," said Zhang Taolin, director of the Shuguangli Community in Beijing's Chaoyang district. "I saw the great efforts that people have made to build the project. When we open the tap, every drop of the diverted water is so valuable that we must cherish it and remember where it comes."

The Beijing sub-bureau also held an emergency drill at the Huinanzhuang pump station along the route, and a celebration event to mark the 100-day countdown to the fifth anniversary of the launch of the central route.