Water defenders

Authorities rush to protect world's largest aqueduct from contamination

Water coming out of Beijing taps at the end of this month may have travelled more than 1,400 kilometers from Central China, as part of the world's biggest water diversion project.

China recently announced that the central route of its massive South-to-North Water Transfer Project will be ready at the end of October.

The world's longest aqueduct, beginning at the Danjiangkou Reservoir in Hubei Province, is estimated to be able to provide more than 9.5 billion cubic meters of water each year to 19 cities in North China, including Beijing and Tianjin.

The $62 billion undertaking will benefit more than 300 million residents and numerous water-intensive factories located in the water-stressed north.

Regional water shortages have been a long-standing issue in China as some northern provinces report less freshwater per person than some desert nations in the Middle East.

The water diversion project, conceived by late leader Mao Zedong in the 1950s, draws its supply from the Yangtze River basin, which is home to four-fifths of the country's water resources.

The ambitious mega project has been debated for nearly half a century, until it was approved by the State Council in December 2002, followed by over a decade of construction.

The first stage of the eastern line, which brought water from East China to the industry-heavy north, began operation last November. But by the time it reached Tianjin the water was barely useable - it had become tainted with pollutants and sediments.

This raised concerns that the latest phase - the central segment due to began operation in late October - will face the same pollution issues.

Tap dance

"We are aware that Beijing residents are concerned about water quality [from the water diversion project]. There are even rumors that the water contains carcinogens. But we are confident about the quality of water being moved to Beijing," said Shi Weixin, deputy dean of Beijing Institute of Water, who takes charge of the water transfer to Beijing.

Oversight is divided among different related government departments. The State Council's South-to-North Water Diversion office regulates the routed water leading to Beijing, while the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau and Beijing Municipal South-to-North Water Diversion Office are responsible for testing water quality.

A comprehensive water-testing mechanism has already been in place along the route to Beijing and within the capital city, with 34 laboratories, 27 unmanned monitoring stations and one emergency mobile monitoring vehicle.

Test results from laboratories provide the most accurate information. Before the water reaches households in Beijing, regulators will collect water samples from stations along the route once a week for detailed testing.