Wang Daoxi, vice minister of water resources, attends a press conference in Beijing on Dec. 12, 2024. [Photo by Xu Xiang/China SCIO]

The South-to-North Water Diversion Project has been significant in promoting the allocation of water resources in China and supporting environmental protection and economic development since its eastern and middle routes began supplying water ten years ago, Vice Minister of Water Resources Wang Daoxi said at a press conference on Thursday. 

The mega project was initiated to transfer water from China's water-rich south to the drought-prone north. 

The two routes have collectively diverted more than 76.7 billion cubic meters of water to northern China, benefiting 45 large and medium-sized cities and 185 million people along the routes, Wang said.

The project has become a water supply lifeline for many northern cities, including Beijing and Tianjin, optimizing their water resource allocation. Nowadays, nearly 80% of the water supply in urban Beijing comes from the project, while the main urban area of Tianjin and the newly developed urban areas of Xiong'an rely entirely on this water source, Wang said.

Additionally, through a series of comprehensive water quality protection measures, the project has ensured that the water quality remains consistently stable and meets national standards, guaranteeing the safety of drinking water for the public.

In terms of restoring the ecologies and environment of rivers and lakes along the routes, comprehensive measures such as water source substitution and ecological water replenishment have been implemented, according to Wang. These initiatives have led to a balance between groundwater extraction and recharge. Leveraging surplus water before the flood season, ecological water replenishment has been carried out in over 50 rivers in northern China, with a cumulative replenishment volume exceeding 11.8 billion cubic meters.

The water diversion project has also helped propel the economic growth of northern China, supporting a GDP growth of over 16 trillion yuan (US$2.24 trillion) in the region over the past decade. It has also supported the implementation of major national strategies, including the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the construction of the Xiong'an New Area. 

With the ongoing improvement of supporting infrastructure in water-receiving areas, the project is now benefiting not only large and medium-sized cities but also rural communities, with the number of people benefiting steadily increasing each year, Wang said.