China’s largest water transportation project

China is carrying out an infrastructure project that may be the largest ever called Nam Thuy Bac Dieu or South-North Water Transportation Project. This is an ambitious initiative to redistribute billions of cubic meters of water annually in one of the world’s largest countries, stretching 4,345 km.

China has a population equal to 20% of the world’s population but its water resources are only 1/6th. Realizing the disparity between the arid conditions in the north, which played an important role in industry and agriculture, and the floods in the south, the idea of ​​redistributing water was first proposed by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1952.

This led to the ambitious South-North Water Transfer Project. Started in 2002 and expected to be completed in 2050, the project is one of China’s most comprehensive water resources management efforts. It operates alongside many other important projects such as the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River, contributing to meeting the needs of China’s rapidly growing population and growing economy. Unique in scale, the water conveyance project is designed to secure future water supplies by connecting the water-rich south with the arid north.

The North-South Water Transportation Project includes three main routes, each addressing different geographical and logistical challenges to effectively manage China’s water resources.

Central line

The central route includes a 1,264 km long canal from the Danjiangkou reservoir on the Hanshui river of the Yangtze river system. The canal uses a series of dams to create a gravity flow, ensuring a constant water supply to Beijing.

Strict regulations prevent littering into canals to maintain water quality for drinking and cooking. Completed in 2014, construction of the line led to the displacement of approximately 330,000 people from areas near the reservoir and significantly reduced water flow on the Han Shui River, highlighting its social and environmental impact. significant of the project.

Eastern route

Already in operation although not yet completed, the eastern route upgrades and expands the ancient Grand Canal system, dating back to the 5th century BC. This system diverts water from the Yangtze River to northern cities such as Tianjin. Unlike the central line, which relies on gravity, the eastern line relies on more than 20 water pumping stations along its 1,100 km length to coordinate water flow, reflecting a complex combination of ancient engineering and technology. modern.

Western route

The western route is the most controversial of the three and has not yet begun construction. The plan is to divert water from the Yangtze tributary near the Tibetan plateau to arid areas such as Inner Mongolia, Qinghai and Gansu. However, this route faces many major ecological and political challenges. The Tibetan Plateau is the key source of several other major rivers in Asia including the Mekong and Brahmaputra that flow through many countries other than China. Diverting water from those sources could raise concerns about the impact on some downstream countries and worsen regional tensions.

Project impact

The central and eastern routes are essential to China’s economic security and development, especially because they deliver vital resources to key political and industrial centers such as Beijing. However, the project also faced many criticisms, especially in the southern provinces due to concerns about the decline in water supply exacerbated by climate change. For example, Hubei province must maintain high water levels in the reservoir to support the central line, thereby limiting the amount of water available locally.

However, the Chinese government insists the water diversion project will address the need to support the arid north, including Beijing, a key political and industrial center. When completed, the project will transport 45 billion cubic meters of water annually from the South to the North.

Despite its huge scale and ambitious goals, the South-North Water Transfer Project brings many major social and environmental challenges. Widespread changes to landscapes and ecosystems will cause many disruptions beyond the canal system.

The project significantly transforms the natural ecosystem, especially along the eastern route, which is heavily dependent on lakes and tributary rivers. This disruption severely impacts aquatic life, especially fish populations. Transporting water from south to north also comes with many dangers such as disease. For example, a parasitic snail disease in southern China now also threatens the north, raising public health concerns. Another pressing issue is saline intrusion, which occurs when large quantities of water are diverted from an area, altering the natural balance of the local ecosystem and making the remaining water unsuitable for agriculture or consumption.

Although it costs up to 70 billion USD and takes decades to build, the long-term feasibility of the project is still worth considering. Some Chinese officials have expressed concerns about the sustainability of system maintenance and management. High operating costs coupled with social and environmental disruption lead to questions about whether this project is a realistic solution to China’s water scarcity.

Experts say alternative solutions could reduce the need for such a large-scale project. China’s urban water supply system has many weaknesses including leaking pipes and aging infrastructure. Although some progress has occurred in recent years, the water management system still lacks transparency, creating a challenge for authorities.

According to professor Stephan Pfister at ETH Zurich, part of the transported water is used for agriculture, due to the growing food demand of the population. A more feasible solution is to reduce the cultivation of water-intensive crops such as wheat and corn. While initially more expensive, alternatives such as rainwater recycling and seawater desalination can be more sustainable, cost-effective, and more environmentally friendly than water conveyance projects.