The photo shows the Waihuan River along the central route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. The river is located in Tianjin. (Photo/China.org.cn)

The central route of the South-to-North Water Diversion project has replenished 30 rivers with around 870 million cubic meters of water in northern China as of June 30.

The replenishment process started from April this year. It has directed 467 million cubic meters, 351 million cubic meters and 47 million cubic meters to Henan province, Hebei province, and Tianjin municipality, respectively, and helped to address water scarcity along the diversion route including the Baihe River, the Qinghe River, and the Tuotuo River.

As a result, rivers, lakes and wetlands along the route saw larger volume of water, the ecological environment in the region was markedly improved, and the underground water level also increased, according to official reports.

As a major infrastructure project of national strategic importance, the water diversion project has not only guaranteed water supply in northern China, but also brought about huge ecological benefits.

In Henan province, the project has replenished 18 rivers in 12 cities including Zhengzhou, Nanyang and Jiaozuo, brought in greater volumes of water in wetlands and reservoirs, and improved water quality in the area.

In Hebei province, the replenishment work covered 11 rivers in seven cities. A total of 112 million cubic meters of water was directed to the Baiyangdian Lake, one of the largest bodies of water in northern China, improving its environment and water quality. According to official figures, the surface area of water in Xushui district has increased by around 430,000 square meters since the replenishment progress began, and the level of groundwater has risen by an average of 0.96 meters.

The project also helped to tackle water scarcity and environment problems in Tianjin through replenishing the Haihe River. Water quality in the city's downtown areas was markedly improved.

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