People living in Xichuan
County, central China's Henan
Province, are ready for a second migration for China's huge
water diversion project.
China's south-to-north
water diversion project, to bring relief to China's drought-ridden
north by diverting water from the Yangtze River, is another mammoth
water conservancy scheme larger even than the Three Gorges
Project.
Such a massive project
requires long-time preparation work. As a first step, the Chinese
government in the 1950s built a vast reservoir 1,000 kilometers
from Beijing, which led to the migration of some local people.
Today some of them and their offspring will leave their home again
for the water diversion project.
In some places where no
large construction projects have been allowed for years, the local
economy has been growing and the soil erosion problem has become
more serious.
The Chinese government
set comprehensive plans for the improvement of river drainage areas
and implemented them decisively.
The linchpin of the huge
water diversion project lies in the water quality of the waterhead
areas, experts said, still expressing concern over the
environmental protection of the waterhead area. They said more
investment should be put into water and soil conservation work in
water source zones.
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(Xinhua News Agency August 25, 2003)