(December 29, 2009) China will use stimulus spending to speed up shifting 330,000 people slated to be displaced for a vast water transfer project, accelerating work on the troubled scheme, an official newspaper said on Tuesday.
China redirects trillions of gallons of water to arid north
(December 25, 2009) The villagers of Machuan, whose houses were bulldozed in August this year, were just the first of more than 330,000 Chinese peasants who will have to be delivered to new homes before the South-North Water Project is complete. At £37bn the project will cost more than twice as much as the Three Gorges Dam, delivering nearly 12 trillion gallons of water along three networks of tunnels and canals that will branch out into northern, eastern and central China.
Migrants bear sacrifice for China’s south-north water diversion project
(December 9, 2009) More than 760 residents of Junxian County in the Danjiangkou Reservoir area on Tuesday began new lives 300 km away with uncertainty and hope. They were among 330,000 migrants expected to be relocated by 2014 for the multi-million-dollar project, which is designed to channel water from southern regions, mainly the Yangtze, China’s longest river, to the arid north, including Beijing.
760 farmers relocated for China’s north-south water project
(December 8, 2009) More than 760 residents in central China began to move to their new homes Tuesday, making way for the giant south-to-north water diversion project.
Why is the south-north water project being postponed?
(October 1, 2009) Is it the end of the mega-project in China? Tian Lei, from the South Wind Window writes that escalating costs in the South-to-North Water Diversion project are behind the recent delays in its completion. But more importantly, Tian says the days of massive, government-backed projects like the South-to-North Water Diversion project and the Three Gorges dam may be coming to an end.
Water crisis in parched northern China
(August 4, 2009) The controversial North-South Water Diversion Project is putting more strain on local farmers already struggling from drought that has plagued parts of the country for much of the past decade. One local farmer, Li Yunxi, talks openly about his struggle for access to water.
But she seems so happy…
(August 19, 2009) A recent article in China Daily details the beginning of what will be the second largest relocation project in China’s history—just behind the Three Gorges dam. The article, and the picture shown above, make light of the relocations, saying the residents are receiving compensation and keys to fully-equipped apartments in downtown areas.
China moves 10,000 people for massive water diversion project
(August 17, 2009) Chinese authorities began Sunday relocating the first batch of rural residents totaling 10,600 in central Henan Province to make way for one of the three routes of the country’s massive South-to-North Water Diversion Project.
Going thirsty so Beijing can drink
(October 9, 2008) The water level at Wangkuai Reservoir, one of the biggest in Hebei province, is close to an historic high—in a region gripped by drought. This has been achieved by hoarding the water. Local farmers say they have received none for two years.
China’s ambitious water diversion project way beyond budget
(June 9, 2009) After some seven years in progress, China’s South-to-North Water Transfer Project has burst its planned budget by tens of billions of yuan and run into delay.
The drag of the South-North Diversion Project
(May 21, 2009) A recent announcement that the much-criticized South-North Diversion Project is facing further delays may be the first sign that the Chinese government is reconsidering its penchant to pursue massively ambitious infrastructure projects.
Beijing Water Authority postpones South-to-North Water Diversion Project, Prepares to raise Beijing’s water prices (Update 3)
(May 11, 2009) In our report, Beijing’s Water Crisis: 1949 – 2008 Olympics, Probe International argued that the city’s worsening water shortage would not be solved by building more dams and diversion canals. But rather, the city should implement laws and regulations to limit polluting and water-profligate projects and ensure that consumers and businesses pay the full cost for water. Now, water authorities have announced a hike in water prices. Read the news coverage here.
China’s giant water scheme opens torrent of discontent
(February 27, 2009) China’s vast scheme to channel southern rivers to its parched north faces potentially explosive defiance at a dam where bitter memories and an unsure future are driving farmers to protest the nation-spanning feat.
China delays part of massive water project
(January 12, 2009) China is delaying part of its plan to divert water from its major rivers across hundreds of (miles) kilometers to the booming cities in its arid north because it needs more time to resettle the more than 300,000 people who will be displaced by the project.
Yangtze River water to supply water-scarce Beijing in 2014
(January 13, 2009) The Yangtze River in South China is expected to provide 1 billion cubic meters of water every year to Beijing starting 2014, according to the municipal water authority.
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