Chengdu: China has commenced the construction of a significant water diversion project aimed at channeling water into the ancient Dujiangyan irrigation system, with the goal of mitigating water shortages in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the project involves transferring water from the Dadu River. It will use a natural elevation drop to transport water through over 260 kilometers of tunnels and pipelines to the Chengdu Plain, creating dual water sources in conjunction with the existing Minjiang River. The entire project is planned for completion in eight years.

For over 2,000 years, Dujiangyan has diverted water from the Minjiang, a tributary of the Yangtze River, resulting in fertile lands on the Chengdu Plain. However, rapid socio-economic development in western China has increased water scarcity in the area. Sichuan's water resources are unevenly distributed, with the basin area housing 80 percent of the province's population, cultivated land, and economic output, but possessing only 20 percent of the water resources. This imbalance is expected to worsen, with the Chengdu Plain economic zone's population projected to exceed 46 million by 2030, leading to a critical water supply gap by 2035.

The project is anticipated to transfer 1.39 billion cubic meters of water annually to Dujiangyan by 2040, increasing to 1.52 billion cubic meters by 2050. The supply network will extend across 43 county-level areas in eight cities, benefiting 34.13 million people and a vast expanse of farmland.

Li Zhiyuan, from the Sichuan Water Development Investigation, Design and Research Co., Ltd., stated that the project will serve as a key artery in the national water network, integrating urban and rural water supply, irrigation, ecological water replenishment, and emergency water sourcing.

Conceived in the 1950s, the project underwent decades of surveys and feasibility studies before receiving state approval and finally breaking ground, marking a significant step in securing water resources for China's ongoing western development.