Requisition of land and resettlement of residents will begin in Beijing for the part of construction of the south-to-north water diversion project, it was announced at a conference held by the Office of South-to-North Water Diversion Project Construction Committee in Beijing.

This project follows the beginning of the laying of a huge water pipe along the western section of the Fourth Ring Road on May 30.

It is expected to finish the whole project of requisition and relocation before the end of 2006 and more than 70 per cent of the project will be completed this year, according to the conference.

An official with the Office of South-to-North Water Diversion Project Construction Committee in Beijing said for the project, they would take over land for permanent and temporary use, pull down residential and non-residential houses, remove trees and transform pipeline facilities.

It is estimated that about 68 hectares of land will be taken over, and more than 400 households to be relocated and underground pipelines in 390 places are to be converted. Most of the construction will be carried out in the districts of Haidian, Fengtai and Fangshan.

The households involved will be relocated in line with the related national policies, and policies of the south-to-north water diversion project, the official said.

The part of the construction of the south-to-north water diversion project in Beijing is planned to be completed through 10 sub-projects.

Currently, the two sub-projects of laying water pipes along the western part of the Fourth Ring Road and building siphons in the Yongding River have started.

Other sub-projects will be launched as soon as the requisition of land and resettlement of residents are completed, according to the conference.

The Beijing's part of project construction, from the Juma River in Fangshan District to Tuancheng Lake in Summer Palace is 80 kilomtres.

The whole project will cross 32 rivers and 12 major transportation arteries. According to the plan, in 2007, water from the four large-scaled reservoirs in Hebei Province of North China will be introduced into Beijing. In 2008, the capital can use water from the Yellow River and in 2010 water from the Yangtze River can be diverted to Beijing.

The south-to-north water diversion project consists of three south-to-north canals, each running about 1,300 kilometres across the eastern, middle and western parts of the country.

The three lines are designed to divert water from the upper, middle and lower reaches of the water-rich Yangtze River into the country's drought-prone north.

The middle line, running for 1267 kilometres, will take water from the Danjiangkou Reservoir in Central China's Hubei Province into large cities including Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang and Zhengzhou.

(China Daily June 7, 2005)