China launches $2.8 bn worth major water diversion project

The new diversion project to Tianjin is being built with an investment of nearly 18 billion yuan (USD 2.8 billion)

China has started yet another large water diversion project with $2.8 billion investment in central China's Hubei Province which will benefit nearly five million people after completion.

The 270-km long pipeline will divert 1.4 billion cubic meters of water each year from Danjiangkou Reservoir to the cities of Xiangyang, Suizhou and Xiaogan in north Hubei.

Last year, China successfully completed its $80 billion world's biggest water diversion project which had brought the water to Danjiangkou Reservoir from the country's second largest Yellow River.

The new diversion project to Tianjin is being built with an investment of nearly 18 billion yuan ($2.8 billion).

It is the largest water distribution project in Hubei and will take three years and nine months to complete. After completion, it will benefit 4.82 million people and irrigate 310,000 hectares of land as well as industries along the route, said Wang Zhongfa, head of the Hubei Provincial Water Resources Department.

A reliable water supply will guarantee urban water supply, ensure grain production, improve the regional environment and with poverty relief efforts, said Minister of Water Resources Chen Lei, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.