More than 750 million cubic meters of freshwater
from southwest China's Guizhou
Province and Guangxi
Zhuang Autonomous Region will soon be diverted to the Pearl
River delta in Guangdong
Province to help fight severe drought and salt tides, say
officials.
The water diversion project -- the largest of its
kind in the country's history -- will begin on January 17 and last
two weeks.
The massive amount of water from the upper reaches
of the Pearl River will have traveled as far as 1,336 kilometers to
reach the delta, which borders the special administrative regions
of Hong Kong and Macao.
The aim is to help ensure drinking water supplies
to the cities of Guangzhou, Zhongshan, Zhuhai, Foshan, Jiangmen and
Zhaoqing as well as to Macao, officials say.
The target date is Chinese Lunar New Year, starting
on February 9, which is an established peak period for water
demand.
Guangdong is now experiencing its worst salt tides
in two decades and its most severe drought in 55 years.
Freshwater supply falls short of the province's
demand by more than 12 billion tons, which are vitally needed in
fighting the drought.
(China Daily January 12, 2005)