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BEIJING, May 15, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

China will press ahead with the world's largest water diversion project and

prioritize water conservation in the process.

As the country pursues green and high-quality development, efforts should be

made to advance the South-to-North Water Diversion Project in a scientific

manner and promote the effective and economical use of water resources, Chinese

President Xi Jinping said Friday.

Xi made the remarks at a symposium on advancing the high-quality follow-up

development of the project in Nanyang, central China's Henan Province,

following an inspection tour that began on Wednesday.

He called for safeguarding ecological security and promoting balanced spatial

distribution of water resources in the country.

3,000 West Lakes, 120 million people

The South-to-North Water Diversion Project links the Yangtze River, the Huaihe

River, the Yellow River and the Haihe River. It is aimed at providing a

permanent solution to the water shortage in northern China by diverting water

from the country's water-rich southern regions.

The grand project consists of three routes, among which the first phase the

eastern and middle routes went into operation in 2013 and 2014 respectively.

The western route is still at a pre-construction stage.

As of early April, the project had transferred 41.8 billion cubic meters of

water to the northern areas, which was equivalent to the water volume of nearly

3,000 West Lakes – a renowned scenic area in Hangzhou in east China's Zhejiang

Province. More than 120 million people had directly benefited from the project.

Xi's inspection tour and the symposium came at a time when China gears up for

planning and implementing the next stage of the project. According to the

Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social

Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035, efforts will

be made to advance the follow-up development of the eastern and middle routes

of the project and the appraisal of plans for the western route.

Elaborating on how to advance the project in a scientific manner, Xi called for

efforts to strengthen demand and supply management, maximize overall benefits

of the project, prioritize water conservation and enhance the protection of

ecological environment. He also called for accelerating efforts to build a

national water network and ensure national water security.

Xi hails sacrifice by resettled residents

The place where President Xi chose to convene the meeting is of great

significance to the water diversion project. Located in the southwest of Henan

Province bordering Hubei Province, Nanyang is the starting point of the middle

route, which carries water from Danjiangkou Reservoir in central China through

Henan and Hebei provinces all the way to Beijing and Tianjin in the north.

More than 40 big and medium-sized cities receive water from the project, and in

Beijing, around 70 percent of the tap water is pumped in through the middle

route.

More than 345,000 people living in Danjiangkou Reservoir area have moved to

more than 600 government-built villages to make way for the project. Xi went to

one of those villages to visit the relocated residents on Thursday.

In the village of Zouzhuang in Xichuan County, he hailed the spirit of

sacrifice of the villagers and wished them a better life. The resettled

residents deserve the thanks from those who benefit from the project and people

across the nation, he said.

At Friday's symposium, Xi urged authorities to work out economical plans for

the next phase of the project and minimize the number of people that need to be

relocated.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-05-14/Xi-convenes-symposium-on-advancing-water-diversion-project-development-10g4Sd3Te5W/index.html

Source: CGTN