South-North Water Diversion Middle Route Project delivers 10 billion cubic meters to Beijing

Since the South-to-North Water Diversion Project's middle route began operation, it has transferred a total of 10 billion cubic meters of water to Beijing, with 7 billion cubic meters directly used for urban domestic water supply, becoming the main water source for the city and directly benefiting over 16 million people, according to the Beijing Water Authority.

The Beijing Water Authority stated that with the incoming water supply, Beijing has effectively established a water resource guarantee system integrating divert water, surface water, groundwater, reclaimed water and rainwater, ensuring scientific and precise water resource management and coordinated control of multiple water sources.

On December 12, 2014, the first phase of the middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project was completed and water began flowing when the main gate at Taocha Canal Head in Nanyang City of central China's Henan Province was opened. The Han River water started its journey northward, reaching Beijing on December 27, 2014.

Beijing has increased the proportion of the project water supply for urban living and production, replacing local groundwater resources and continuously reducing the exploitation of source areas. The city has also decreased the supply from the Miyun Reservoir, utilizing its storage capacity to save excess water.

According to the Beijing Water Authority, since the project water supply began entering the city, the groundwater levels in Beijing have been rising annually, effectively conserving groundwater resources. Since 2015, groundwater levels in Beijing have risen for eight consecutive years, with the average depth to groundwater in the plains area rising from 25.75 meters in 2015 to 14.74 meters in 2023, a cumulative increase of 11.01 meters, with groundwater storage increasing by 5.64 billion cubic meters.