China is diverting water from some of its largest rivers thousands of miles north to relieve a severe shortage in cities like Beijing and Tianjin. The effort, called the South-to-North Water Transfer Project, is considered the largest water transfer system in the world.
Northern China holds nearly half the country’s population but only about a fifth of its fresh water. Some estimates show residents there have more than 70 times less water than the average American. Officials say the imbalance, worsened by farming, industry, and population growth, justifies the massive engineering effort.
Construction began in 2002, and two routes are now running. The eastern route carries water from the Yangtze River more than 700 miles to Tianjin, using pumps to push it uphill. The central route moves water from the Han River roughly 790 miles to Beijing and Tianjin using gravity alone.
Together, the two routes have transferred about 21 cubic miles of water since opening, more than twice the volume Lake Mead can hold. Beijing now gets about 70 percent of its water through the system.
Why China is diverting water from its largest rivers
A third route, still in planning, would cross the Tibetan Plateau, an area known for its glaciers and dense river network.
Authorities are studying ways to route water from rivers, including the Tongtian, Yalong, and Dadu, toward the Yellow River basin, though construction is not expected to begin before 2050. Engineers face high altitudes, seismic activity, and the risk of frozen pipelines.
Mark Wang, a professor at the University of Melbourne, said that officials have downplayed risks tied to earthquakes, evaporation, and environmental damage.
Darrin Magee, of Western Washington University, said that pollution in southern water sources has long complicated the project, though treatment stations have improved water quality along the routes.
Tibetan Plateau route raises new engineering and risk concerns
Other unofficial proposals have suggested China diverting water from some of its largest rivers that flow into India and Bangladesh, raising concern among neighboring countries over reduced downstream supply.
Emily Yeh, of the University of Colorado Boulder, said that many Chinese scientists opposed the project from the start, arguing conservation could have addressed the shortage without large-scale construction.
Climate change adds further uncertainty, as melting glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau could increase water flow in the short term before reducing it for decades afterward.
Wang said that the scale of China’s water and energy challenges explains why the country continues pursuing such large infrastructure projects despite the risks.
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