China’s Middle Route Water Diversion Tops 80 Billion Cubic Metres in Northern Water Supply

According to official data released by China South-to-North Water Diversion Group and reported by Xinhua News Agency on August 7, the cumulative water delivery volume of the project’s middle route to northern China has exceeded 80 billion cubic metres.

The large-scale water diversion scheme currently benefits nearly 118 million people across Henan, Hebei, Tianjin and Beijing. It delivers stable and high-quality water resources to 27 major and medium-sized cities and 243 county-level administrative regions along the water conveyance corridor, continuously improving domestic water conditions and supporting urban operational development across northern regions.

Since official water dispatch began nearly 12 years ago, the middle route has served as a core strategic infrastructure for national water resource optimisation. The project carries out rational cross-basin water allocation to balance uneven water distribution between southern and northern China. It maintains consistent drinking water safety for residential communities in water-scarce northern areas and facilitates ecological restoration for local rivers and lakes.

Stable water replenishment via the middle route revives depleted water bodies, improves regional hydrological environments and reinforces the ecological carrying capacity of northern river basins. The cross-regional water transport mechanism also smooths north-south economic circulation by securing reliable water supplies for industrial, agricultural and urban development.

The operational outcomes of the middle route consolidate national water security foundations for northern China. The project will continue to deliver regulated water allocation, sustain ecological improvement progress and underpin steady socioeconomic development across the entire water-receiving region in subsequent operational cycles.