China's South-to-North Water Diversion Project marks 10th anniversary of its operation

An aerial drone photo taken on March 22, 2024 shows a view of the Danjiangkou Reservoir in central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

DANJIANGKOU, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- This year marks the 10th anniversary of the operation of China's South-to-North Water Diversion Project, which was initiated to address China's regional water imbalance.

The project has three routes. The middle route, the most prominent one, starts at the Danjiangkou Reservoir in central China's Hubei Province and runs across Henan and Hebei before reaching Beijing and Tianjin.

Since the middle route began supplying water in December 2014, strict regulations have been enacted to reduce pollutants, and the city has organized more than 450 volunteer groups to protect the water quality. As a result, water quality in the Danjiangkou Reservoir rarely falls below the second class on China's five-tier quality scale for surface water.

An aerial drone photo taken on March 22, 2024 shows a view of the Danjiangkou Reservoir in central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

An aerial drone photo taken on Nov. 30, 2024 shows a view of the Danjiangkou Dam in central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 28, 2024 shows staff members of a municipal cleanup team carrying out cleanup operation at the Danjiangkou Reservoir in central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

An aerial drone photo taken on March 22, 2024 shows a view of the Danjiangkou Reservoir in central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

A staff member of a municipal cleanup team removes floating objects at the Danjiangkou Reservoir in central China's Hubei Province, Oct. 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

A staff member of a municipal cleanup team carries out cleanup operation at the Danjiangkou Reservoir in central China's Hubei Province, Oct. 25, 2024. (Xinhua/Du Zixuan)

A staff member of a municipal cleanup team looks at the Danjiangkou Reservoir in central China's Hubei Province, Nov. 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

An aerial drone photo taken on March 21, 2024 shows a view of the Danjiangkou Reservoir in central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

An aerial drone photo taken on March 22, 2024 shows a view of the Danjiangkou Reservoir in central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 27, 2024 shows a sewage treatment plant in Danjiangkou City, central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

An aerial drone photo taken on March 22, 2024 shows a view of the Danjiangkou Reservoir in central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)