Total Water to Be Transferred in the Project Is Northern China Will Only
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South-to-North Water Diversion Project in China Item Type text; Proceedings Authors Chen, Hui; Ffolliott, Peter F. Publisher Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science Journal Hydrology and Water Resources in Arizona and the Southwest Rights Copyright ©, where appropriate, is held by the author. Download date 01/10/2021 17:17:05 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/296674 SOUTH -TO -NORTH WATER DIVERSION PROJECT IN CHINA Hui Chen' and Peter F. Ffolliott' The South -to -North Water Diversion Project incompatible with the distribution of the population China is the largest water project of its kind ever and agricultural, industrial, and social development. undertaken in the world.It was proposed in 1952The level of water shortage in China in 2000, and the main construction was started in 2002 afterrepresentingthewaterresource,socialand 50 years of baseline inventorying and study. Theeconomical development, water supply,water project is expected to be completed in .2050 with a demand, water shortage and water quality, indicates total investment of approximately 486 billion yuans sufficient water resources in southern China but a (1 dollar = 8 yuans in 2002). The South -to -Northdeficiency of water resources in northern China Water Diversion Project will not only relieve the(Figure 1).The shortage of water resources in severe water shortage in northern China, but, more northern China will only get worse with the importantly,itwillefficiently manage wateranticipated social and economical development. The resourcesbyestablishingastrategicwater South to North Water Diversion Project is expected distribution and security network for the Yangtze to relieve this problem. River, Yellow River, Huai River, and Hai River. The project consists of three routes - the Western THREE ROUTE PROJECT Route, the Middle Route, and the Eastern Route - Since beginning to consider the feasibility of diverting water from upstream, mid- stream, andimplementing the South -to -North Water Diversion downstream of the Yangtze River, respectively. The Project in early 1950s, more than 150 alternative total water to be transferred in the project is layouts for the project had been proposed, with the expected to be nearly 44.8 billion m3 annually by ThreeRouteProjectultimatelychosenfor 2050, with 17.0 billion m3, 13.0 billion m3, and 14.8implementation. The Three Route Project (Figure billion m3 of water transferred by the Western Route,2), including the Western Route Project, the Middle theMiddleRoute,andtheEasternRoute, Route Project, and the Eastern Route Project, will respectively. divert water from upstream, mid- stream,and This paper on the South -to -North Projectdownstream of the Yangtze River, respectively, to consists of a background explanation of why Chinaconnect the four major rivers - the Yangtze River, needs this water project; a section on how the Three Yellow River, Huai River, and Hai River - into a Route Project will be constructed; the expectednational water resource network. social,economical, and ecology benefits;and existing and potential future impacts of the project Eastern Route Project on ecology and the environment. Construction of the Eastern Route Project started in December 2002 and is planned for BACKGROUND completion in 2016, with a total investment of 65 The large population in China (about 1.3 billion billion yuans. The Eastern Route Project will divert people in 2002) is unevenly distributed, with a high water from a downstream branch of the Yangtze density of people in eastern China and a low density River to the eastern Huang- Huai -Hai Plain, with the in western China. The spatial distribution of watertermination in the Tianjin Municipality via the resource is also uneven, with higher resources in the existing Beijing -Hangzhou Grand Canal, which is south and east than in the north and west.The the oldest and longest canal in the world.The current distribution of water resources is not Eastern Route Project is expected to relieve water shortagesintheTianjinMunicipality,the Heilonggang Yundong regionsintheHebei 'School ofNatural Resources, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 18 2000 *710 g AA*1413z.ft VA 3 ( WA. 41 T ) j > o. 65 ¡ j0. 5 - 0. 65 0 0.35 - 0.5 ¡-]<O. 35 cP111zMqyk0,4#144ft,.Ki-ìtFlr Figure 1. Distribution of the water shortage index in China in 2000. (Source: (http: / /sdinfo. chinawater. net. cn/waterresources /ww007. j pg)) province, and the north and southwest part of Middle Route Project Jiaodong Peninsula of Shandong Province.As The Middle Route Project was started in already stated, it will divert water from the YangtzeDecember 2003 and its completion is expected in River, which normally has mean annual water flow 2050, with a total investment of 117 billion yuans. of 960 billion m3 entering the Eastern Sea and more The Middle Route Project will divert water from the than 760 billion m3 of water flow in extremely dryDanjiangkou Reservoir on Han River to the Beijing years. The length of the completed water -course Municipality in the short-run. In the long -run, the will be about 1,560 km from the Yangtze River toMiddle Route Project will divert water from the the Tianjin Municipality. The Eastern Route Project Three Gorges Reservoir or downstream of the dam involves establishing 13 pumping stations south ofon the main branch of the Yangtze River to the the Yellow River where the water will then flow to Beijing Municipality, the Tianjing Municipality, and the Tianjin Municipality by gravity. The Easternthe provinces of Hebei, Henan, and Hubei. The Route Project also involves the construction of a main advantage of this project is that water will flow nearly 9 km tunnel beneath Yellow River. When by the forces of gravity. Two key components of the completed, the Eastern Route Project is expected to construction effort for this project are heightening divert approximately 14.8 billion m3 of water perthe Danjiangkou Reservoir dam from 97 to 170 m year. and building two tunnels of 8.5 m in internal 19 MONGOLIA 1.-vevEr4 Beijingng :'b1 ...toGOLfr. ... _ .. ,T i rt SCUT H Cr .:50 Cenbrat route rSH C k`iisr SeR fi:w-1A:Ne`xE Western routesî Hat!, Eastern .._.... mute. Shang#laá East CPen a r.'_ Sa7,6! á. I F.l':1F., f gr :7e i40': G! . IWAN T.tïret, Cit?x'+.`á 00011' (unr1iltr construction) C IA. IIsI DIA H g Korig r SrAi`rr. China Sea tu1 N'ta IN t/1 .p 4n' I CTtJA%.,r, Figure 2. Layout of the Three Route Project of South -to -North Water Diversion. (Source: (http: / /www.water- technology. net / projects /south_north /south_north l .html)) diameter and about 7 km long with a planned flow It will divert water from the upper reach of the capacity of 500 m3 /s.After the completion of the Yangtze River to Yellow River. The Western Route DanjiangkouReservoir,themeanannually Project is planned to transfer 20 billion m3 of water transferred water will be increased from 12.0 to 14.0 annually from three tributaries of the Yangtze River, billion m3 in normal years and 6.2 billion m3 in dry including 10 billion m3 from the Tongtian River in years. Another benefit of Danjiangkou Damthe upper reach of Yangtze River, 5 billion m3 from Extension Project is that it will increase the level ofthe Yalong River, and 5 billion m3 from the Dadu flood control in the middle and lower Han River and River. Two main parts of the construction effort for enhance the safety of Wuhan City and the plain to the West Route Project are building a dam with a the north of the Han River. The diversion route ofheight more than 200 m and digging a tunnel through the Middle Route Project will be about 1,274 km in the Bayangela Mountain with the length of more length, starting at the head of the Taocha canal and than100 km. This project willnecessitate terminating at the Yuyuan Pool in Beijing.The overcomingmajorengineeringandclimatic Middle Route Project will supply water to Beijingchallengesbecauseitissituatedonthe for the 2008 Olympic Games. The transferred water Qinghai -TibetPlateau where theelevationis is temporarily from reservoirs in the Hebei province, between 3,000 and 5,000 m and is characterized by with an annul flow rate of 0.4 billion m3. complicated geological structures, extremely low temperatures, and frequent and severe earthquakes Western Route Project up to 8 to 9 degrees on Richter scale in some areas. The Western Route Project is expected to start in 2010, with the investment of 300 billion yuans, an BENEFITS amount accounting for 60% of total investment for The South -to -North Water Diversion Project the South -to -North Water Diversion Project. The will eventually divert about 38 to 48 billion m3 of Western Route Project is expected to relieve thewater per year.It is expected to have important water shortage in the north and northwest of China. social, economic and environmental benefits for the 20 Huang- Huai -Hai District by alleviating the existing areas.The project will also increase the water watershortage,promotingsocio- economic supply to agriculture and livestock purposes, adjust development, and improving living conditions for theagriculturalcrop components toimprove the nearly 300 million residents of urban and rural efficiency,and increasetheoveralllevelof areas. Some of these benefits are discussed below. agricultural production. The diverted clean water will replace sewage water for agricultural irrigation Social Benefits purposes and, in doing so, reduce pollution of The South -to -North Water Diversion Project agricultural lands and improve the quality of will have social benefits to the water district. Foragricultural production. The increasing availability example, Beijing, the capital of China, is the nation's of clean water will also reduce excessive extraction center of political, cultural, financial and diplomaticof groundwater and, as a consequence, alleviate the activities.Tianjin is the largest industrial base inproblem of declining aquifers. By reasonable water northern China and, additionally, an important tradedistribution,it will be possible to recharge dry port.The western and northwest region is thewetlands, creeks, and streams, which will likely country's base of energy resources, raw materials, increase the ability of self -dilution and self -cleaning and heavy chemical industries.