Water diversion scheme serving more than 8.5 million people in eastern Guangdong opens

According to the Guangdong Provincial State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission on 4 November 2026, the follow-up optimisation project for the interconnected water system of the Han, Rong and Lian rivers, a key livelihood water infrastructure scheme in Guangdong province funded, built and operated by Guangdong Holdings, has entered operation. Water from the Han River enters the main distribution network through the Xishanxi receiving well in Guxiang town, Chao’an district, Chaozhou, and flows along a 72-kilometre route to supply the cities of Shantou, Chaozhou and Jieyang in eastern Guangdong. The scheme reinforces regional security for water supply and ecological protection, with more than 8.5 million local residents set to benefit.

The development forms a core component of Guangdong’s “five vertical and five horizontal” water allocation backbone network. Construction began at the end of September 2022, with the full water transmission route stretching roughly 72 kilometres and an estimated total investment of 10.119 billion yuan. Its layout follows one main trunk and two branch lines. Water is drawn at the Xishanxi receiving well in Chao’an Guxiang, the terminal point of the Han River Luhu Tunnel Water Diversion Project, and conveyed along the main pipeline to the Guanbu intake on the Rong River. Supplies are then routed through separate branch lines serving Chaoyang, Puning and Chaonan, feeding the Hexi Reservoir in Chaoyang, the Tangkeng Reservoir in Puning and the Qiufeng Reservoir in Chaonan. The framework creates a regional water allocation system that balances supplies from local sources and the Han River across wet and dry periods. The project raises the average annual available water take by 311 million cubic metres for the beneficiary population.

Guangdong Holdings enforced integrated controls over quality, timetable, cost, safety and probity throughout construction. The group and all participating contractors overcame construction hurdles to deliver the works on schedule and to the required standard. Shield tunnelling works were launched in July 2023, the full tunnel alignment broke through in September 2025, and internal tunnel lining was completed in February 2026. Full-system joint commissioning started in June, and the scheme passed pump station and water delivery acceptance checks in July, clearing the way for full operational flow.

Site teams navigated complex geological conditions and resolved multiple technical challenges during construction. The steady supply of treated water from the Han River will support urban expansion, major industrial layouts and port-side economic growth across eastern Guangdong. It also provides water resources for the Hundred Counties, Thousand Towns and Ten Thousand Villages High-quality Development Programme and supports balanced development between urban and rural areas. Guangdong Holdings will maintain operational safety to sustain reliable, long-term public benefit, direct clean water flows to farmland, workshops and residential communities, and apply rigorous management to deliver a durable, high-standard infrastructure asset.