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China's
South-to-North Water Transfers the Middle Route Project
As is
well-known, in respect of its water resources amount totaled China ranks the
sixth in the world, but in terms of actual water volume commanded per capita its
place comes down to the eighty eighth, that is , the available water it owns per
capita amounts to only one-fourth of that the world does. Moreover, the
distribution of its water resources is so much disproportionate throughout the
country that as ample flow or water surplus regions, the Yangtze
(Changjiang)River basin and those rivers situated to the south of it yield a
runoff accounting for more than 8O% of the nation's total, while having an
arable area of less than 40% (of the nation' s total); on the contrary, as water
deficient, regions of the Huanghe(Yellow River), Huaihe and Haihe basins see a
runoff of merely below 6. 5%, while having to maintain an area of arable land
nearly of the same order (40%). At present, yet poorer in water resources are
the Huang-Huai-Hai plains, densely populated and highly cultivated, and the
problem is awaiting immediate solution through transferring. To this end, a
scheme called the Middle Route Project (MRP) under South-to-North Water
Transfers, was worked out, which is, as planned, to divert, in the near future,
water from Danjiangkou reservoir on the Hanjiang, a tributary to the Yangtze
River, within the boundaries of the provinces of Hubei and Henan, to supply
three provinces, Hubei Henan and Hebei, as well as two major cities, Beijing and
Tianjin, for domestic, industrial, agricultural and other uses. The proposed
trunk conveyance canal, in which the water will flow solely by gravity, will be
laid out along the borders of the northern Tangbaihe plain and the western
Huang-Huai Hai plans to terminated at Beijing and Tianjin. In the far future
additional water is due to be obtained from the main stem of thc Yangtze River
proper. Now, the recommended MRP is considered to be an optimum solution for
mitigating the existing crisis of water resources in North China. The advantages
of this scheme lie mainly in good quality of the water to be diverted,
dependable amount of water transfered, greater coverage available and
flexibility in supply in addition to that water can be conveyed from south to
north by gravity and so can it be supplied from west to east.
It has been
already 40 years since the earlier stage study on the MRP started in the 1950s,
and in this connection extensive efforts, including geologic investigation and
survey, planning and designing as well as scientific researches, were then
conducted by the Changjiang Water Resources Commission (CWRC).
In 1993, a
report, entitled the "Feasibility Study on the MRP under South-to-North Water
Transfers", was issued by CWRC with the cooperation of the provinces and cities
concerned, and this report has been approved by the State Planning Commission
(SPC) and._ the Ministry of Water Resources (MWR).
The MRP is so
far one of the largest water conservancy projects ever schemed in China and in
the world as well. Its free flow trunk canal has a total length of about 1240
km, and is designed to provide a mean annual transferable amount of water of
14.5 billion m3.
Principal
Benefits from the MRP
1 Principal
Benefits from the MRP
The water
import regions with the MRP cover an area totaling 0.1551 million km2, and they
are composed chiefly of the Tangbaihe plain and the middle- western
Huang-Huai-Hai plains. These regions are very conveniently located there are
arterial railways available in the directions both meridional such as Beijing-
Guangzhou , Jiaozhuo-Zhichen, Tianjin-Pukou and Beijing-Jiujiang(under
construction), and latitudinal such as Beijing-Tianjin, Shide, Longhai,
Pingdingshan-Zhoukou, including a number of their branches. In addition,
highways are available there radiating in all directions.
The
industrial and agricultural production in these regions plays an important role
in national economy. Coal and petroleum resources there are very rich. Besides,
other industries are also well-founded. Since the terrain is even and flat, yet
light and heat sources are ample, the potentialities for expanded agricultural
production are great. In population and arable area the regions make up about 8
% of the country's total. and in total output value of industry and agriculture
12%. Altogether, there are 17 large-and medium-size cities involved, including
such major cities as 13eijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang and Zhengzhou, etc.
The local
water resources plus the water inflow from outside of the regions amount to only
1. 5 % of the nation's total, and the water per capita merely 1/6 of the
nation's averaged level. Due to the shortage of water resources, which is
leading to a series of environmental and social problems in the area, the
contradiction between it and the socio-economic development and ecological
environmental protection has so evolved that it couldn' t be coordinated well
relying solely upon the existing water resources the localities own, and has
consequently become a factor restricting the expansion of local industry and
agriculture. Immediately neighboring on the import regions with the MRP, the
middle Yangtze, where surface water resources are rather abundant, is
demonstrated to be the most ideal water source or export region for the proposed
inter-basin water transfer.
When
implemented, the MRP, being large in scale, will bring about enormous
economical, social and environ- mental benefits.
l . l The MRP
is the most optimum scheme to alleviate Beijing, Tianjin and North China as well
in terms of their crises in water resources shortage. It allows to divert on the
gravity basis quality water from the Yangtze River basin to Beijing, the Capital
of China, and the City of Tianjin, the largest industrial base and the major
foreign trade port in North China, and even the whole North China's economic
circle, bringing them valuable " blood". And this will certainly still better
the local environment for investment, quicken steps of reforming and opening to
the outside and thereby contribute to the nationwide economic development.
1 . 2 When
completed, the MRP will provide mean annual benefits of the order of 18. 5
billion yuan, the breakdowns of which are as follows.
Industrial
and urban domestic water supply 15. 88 billion yuan,
Irrigation
and other water supply items 2. 38 billion yuan,
Flood control
0. 25 billion yuan.
1. 3 With its
dam heightened up. the Danjiangkou reservoir on the Hanjiang will yet allow to
raise flood control standards for the middle and lower reaches of the river, so
as to ensure safety to the Hanbei plain and especially the city of Wuhan, a
place of strategic importance in Central China.
1 . 4 Through
transferring by the MRP the quantity of water available for urban, domestic and
industrial uses will be increased accordingly, its quality much improved and
over-tapping of ground water controlled appropriately in the import regions,
which is evidently advantageous to human health and the regulation of urban
environment.
1. 5 With the
increased agricultural water in the import regions, the agro-ecological
conditions there-of will be improved, contributing much to the betterment of
environmental ecology of the whole area. 
Prepared in cooperation with The University of Maryland College of Behavioral and Social
Sciences.