南水北調工程

South-to-North Water Diversion Project

A major project to channel water from the Yangtze River in the southern part of the country to the north through three canals.

The project, considered by the authorities since the 1950s, was formally launched in 2002. Three 1,300-km canals will be constructed in the western, central and eastern parts of China so that water from the upper, middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River will be brought to the north, where water supply is not adequate.

With an estimated investment of 486 billion yuan, the three canals will be capable of transferring 44.8 billion cu m of water by 2050.