The South-North Water Diversion Project: A disaster waiting to happen?

The South-North Water Diversion Project:

Arguably the biggest infrastructure project in history, the South-North Water Diversion Project (or the South-to-North Water Transfer Project) is a US$62 billion attempt to divert water from the Yangtze River in the south to the dry rivers of the north, which is currently facing water shortages.

The plan will see eight trillion gallons of water a year pumped through two 800-mile-long channels in order to relieve water shortages in the north of the country. Even this may not be enough though, and the Chinese government is considering a third tunnel.

The project has been described as a "plumbing project of unprecedented complexity, equivalent to diverting a major European river such as the Danube or the Thames to the opposite side of the continent", but as well as the daunting physical logistics involved the potential impact of the scheme could hold serious implications for the future of the region.

Taming nature

The project has already drawn controversy due to the fact that over half a million people are being forced out of their homes to make way for the project, but environmental groups have warned that the project could cause vast damage to the country.

Citing China's last megaproject as an example, the groups have said the Three Gorges Dam has been responsible for landslides and earthquakes in the region due to its sheer size. They have also pointed out that the region is now heavily polluted and some scientists have even theorised that the dam's presence could have caused the devastating Sichuan earthquake in 2008 that killed 68,000 people.

However the most disturbing news is that, like Three Gorges Dam, the hydro-engineering project has become so contaminated by pollution that it is said the water being pumped is barely usable.

The North-South Diversion Project currently has 400 treatment plants working on the problem but water quality is still said to be incredibly low, highlighting the pollution problem of China's manufacturing belt. It has led to speculation by the UK's Guardian newspaper, amongst others, that "planners either massively underestimated the cost of the clear-up or that local governments have skimped on taking the necessary measures."

If these problems weren't enough there is also a concern that diverting such a large portion of the Yangtze River could in turn lead to water shortages in the south.

With all these factors in the 50-year engineering project being highlighted, one can't help but feel China's drive for quantity over quality will either see them relieve their country's water issues or devastate it further.

Relevant articles:

Is Three Gorges Dam causing quakes? | Asian energy consumption | Megaprojects of Asia | Asia's green megaprojects

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