Middle route of China's mega water diversion project hits annual target

The middle route of China's South-to-North Water Diversion Project has completed its annual water diversion target this year, with the amount of water transferred hitting a record high.

The route has transferred about 9.21 billion cubic meters of water from major rivers in the south to the country's parched north from Nov. 1, 2021 to Oct. 31 this year, 27.4 percent more than the yearly plan, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.

So far, the middle and eastern routes of the water diversion project have transferred over 57.6 billion cubic meters of water, benefiting 150 million people, said the ministry. Meanwhile, rivers and lakes along the routes have been replenished with more than 9.2 billion cubic meters of water.

The country's South-to-North Water Diversion Project has three routes.

The middle route begins at the Danjiangkou Reservoir in central China's Hubei Province and runs through Henan and Hebei before reaching Beijing and Tianjin; the eastern route transfers water from eastern Jiangsu Province to areas including Tianjin and Shandong; and the western route is yet to be built.