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China is accelerating preparations for the largest water diversion
project in its history: the channeling of water from the Yangtze
River to the drought-battered north, sources with the Ministry
of Water Resources said.
A final decision on the project, which has been under scrutiny
for decades, will be made soon as experts warned the shortage
of water in North China is becoming more acute.
A decision is also soon to be made on the pricing system for
the diverted water.
Experts said the project should start as soon as possible before
water scarcity starts to restrict the sustainable development
of the national economy.
To soothe the worsening thirst in the Yellow-Huaihe-Haihe rivers
plain, the most important grain producing areas in the north,
Zhu Erming, top technological consultant of the Ministry of
Water Resources, said: "The construction of the first phase
of the canals' eastern and central stretches should start simultaneously
within the next five years," - the government's 10th Five-Year
Plan period (2001-05).
Although Zhu's words were only a suggestion made in his latest
report on the project for the decision-makers, it was the clearest
timetable for the project's construction in 50 years of feasibility
studies.
Zhu confirmed that the State Council "has required the
ministry to submit an overall plan before next June."
The project involves the building of canals that will divert
water from three places on the upper, middle and lower reaches
of the Yangtze River.
The western stretches of the canals are still being studied.
The government will invest an estimated 130 billion to 150 billion
yuan (US$15.7 billion to US$18.1 billion) in the first two phases
of construction, which will include the middle and eastern stretches
of the canals, which total 2,400-kilometres in length, Zhu said.
Beijing, Tianjin and many other cities and regions along the
canals are expected to benefit from the project.
The canals are expected to take 38 billion to 48 billion cubic
meters of water from the Yangtze River annually. About 30 to
35 billion cubic meters of water will be available for industries,
urban areas and irrigation in North China when the canals are
fully completed.
Such an amount, which accounts for 5 per cent of the Yangtze's
annual flow, is unlikely to affect the river's ecological balance.
Nevertheless, the water will be enough to make up for the water
shortage in the Yellow-Huaihe-Haihe river plains, experts working
with Zhu said.
However, they warned that many users, particularly farmers,
will not be able to afford the water supplied by the project.
This means that they may continue to pump water from underground.
(China Daily 11/07/2000) |
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