Water diversion efforts hydrate parched north

The Danjiangkou Reservoir is the source of the middle route of the South-to-North Water diversion Project. (TAO DEBIN/FOR CHINA DAILY)

The monumental challenge of shifting billions of cubic meters of water over a thousand kilometers from one end of the country to another, using only the power of gravity, would seem insurmountable to many, but the middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project has done just that for a decade.

One of China's many megaprojects, the 1,432-kilometer route that takes water from Danjiangkou Reservoir, which sits across Hubei and Henan provinces, to Henan and Hebei, Tianjin and Beijing northward, was put into operation on Dec 12, 2014.

Historically, China's southern regions have been replete with water resources, while the north severely lacked them. The South-to-North Water Diversion Project goes some ways to address this imbalance, supplying safe, clean water to drier regions.

As well as the middle route, which slices through the center of the country, there are eastern and western routes.

To date, the middle route has delivered more than 68 billion cubic meters of water, benefiting nearly 114 million people, and earning a reputation for being a lifeline for the Chinese people.

As the source of the middle route, the Danjiangkou Reservoir is kept under strict observation to ensure water quality with an emphasis on pollution control, ecological restoration and water resource conservation.

A 10-year fishing ban has been put in place, and wastewater from homes and industries near the reservoir is contained in a centralized wastewater treatment system.