Mar. 29, 2024
Relocation of 86,000 people started for the “South-to-North water diversion project” of the Danjiang

May 5, 2011

Source: chinanews.com.cn

http://news.qq.com/a/20110505/000553.htm

May. 5 (China News Agency) – The relocation of the second wave of migrants from the “South-to-North Water Diversion Project” of the Danjiangkou Reservoir Area started on May 5. 86,000 emigrants will move to the 116 settlements in 20 counties (urban areas) and 6 cities, including Zhengzhou, Xinxiang and Xuchang.

The relocation ceremony was held at the village of Xiling, Dashiqiao, Xichuan County, in Henan Province. On that day 693 emigrants from 147 households, as the first emigrants, started moving to the new transmigrant village at Yaodian, Dengzhou City of the province, bidding farewell to the place that had been home to their ancestors.

The central route of the “South-to-North Water Diversion Project” will open the sluice-gates at Taocha Canal Head, Xichuan County, in which the canal head and water source is situated, drawing water all the way to the Tuancheng Lake in Beijing for water supply to more than 20 cities, including Beijing and Tianjin.

According to official statistics, after the launch of the middle route of the “South-to-North Water Diversion Project,” another 144 square kilometers of inundated area will be added to Xichuan County, submerging altogether 11 villages and towns, 185 administrative villages, 1,312 villagers’ groups, and involving 162,000 emigrants. 131,000 mu of farmland will be drowned and almost all the fertile farmlands surrounding the reservoir will be submerged. Three market towns, 36 industrial and mining enterprises and 77.9 kilometers of highways of Class-IV standard and above are involved.

In 2009 and 2010, 75,800 people in total completed the experimental and first relocations in Henan. This year, among the 86,000 emigrants, the longest distance of relocation is over 600 kilometers from Xichuan. Taking no account of factors like the rainy season and folk customs which can affect the relocation, the effective work time used by Henan Province in completing the relocation before the end of August amounts to less than three months, meaning that 30,000 people had to be relocated each month.

At present, connection projects south of the Yellow River on the middle route of the “South-to-North Water Diversion Project” is in full swing. It marks not only the successful connection of the projects south of the Yellow River but also the beginning of all the main projects of the middle route of the entire “South-to-North Water Diversion Project.” According to the aim of the project, the first-stage construction of the main middle route projects of the “South-to-North Water Diversion Project” will be completed at the end of 2013 and the water transfer will start along the whole line after the flood season in 2014.


Translator: Yang Wenlong

Proofreader: Audury Le Belenger, Angela Merriam






00023974