The Yangtze River Water Resources Protection Bureau has opened a branch in Danjiangkou to monitor water quality at the Danjiangkou Reservoir, the water source of China's south-to-north water diversion project's central canal.

According to the Yangtze River Water Resources Protection Bureau, it opened its Danjiangkou division on Nov. 28, aiming to monitor water quality and prevent water pollution at Danjiangkou Reservoir and the upper and middle reaches of the Hanjiang River, a main branch of the Yangtze.

The reservoir, located at the upper reaches of the Hanjiang, will expand from the current 745 square kilometers to 1,050 square kilometers, with water level rising from the current 162 meters to 176.6 meters in 2008.

Its storage capacity will reach 29.05 billion cubic meters, 11.6 billion cubic meters more than the early stage capacity.

The massive south-to-north water project aims to divert water from the Yangtze, China's longest river, through the eastern, central and western canals to relieve water shortages in the country's arid northern areas.

The central canal will be able to divert 9.5 billion cubic meters of water each year to the northern cities and provinces of Beijing, Tianjin, Henan and Hebei, officials estimate.

"Water quality of the central canal is vital to the gigantic project and the safety of drinking water for residents in Beijing, Tianjin, Henan and Hebei," said Zhang Liwei, director of environment and migration office with South-to-North Water Diversion Project Construction Committee.

Zhang also said that water quality in the reservoir is generally good, yet contamination problems exist in some areas of the reservoir and the Hanjiang.

Deputy Director of the Yangtze River Water Resources Committee Xu Shangge said that the watchdog is designated to promulgate regulations and come up with more measures to prevent water pollution, and set up emergency response systems to deal with contamination incidents.

To curb water pollution along the water project's east canal, China planned last year to implement 369 pollution prevention projects with a total investment of 22.8 billion yuan (about US$2.8 billion) in the coming decade.  

(Xinhua News Agency November 30, 2004)