China's South-to-North water project has supplied nearly 200 million people

(ECNS) - China's South-to-North Water Diversion Project has transferred more than 88 billion cubic meters of water to northern regions since operations began, benefiting nearly 200 million people, according to official data released in May.

China's Ministry of Water Resources said the eastern and central routes of the project have supplied water to 48 large and medium-sized cities as of May 2026.

The project was designed to ease chronic water shortages in northern China by diverting water from the Yangtze River basin.

Authorities said the central route alone had transferred more than 78 billion cubic meters of water, while the eastern route had moved over 9.8 billion cubic meters across provincial boundaries.

Water quality along the central route has remained at Class II or above under national standards, while the eastern route maintained Class III quality, according to the ministry.

Officials also said the project had supplied more than 13 billion cubic meters of ecological replenishment water over the past five years, helping restore flows in more than 50 rivers and raising groundwater levels in parts of northern China.

(By Zhang Jiahao)