Beijing: China today successfully completed its $80 billion water diversion project, covering a distance of 1,200 kms, developed to address the capital’s water woes.It took 15 days for water to reach Beijing from its source the Hanjiang River, a tributary of the Yangtze River, China’s largest waterway.
It took eight years to complete two 4,000-metre-long tunnels under the riverbed of the Yellow River. In 2003 its project cost was estimated to be around $59 billion which spiraled to $80 billion by the end of its completion.
It evoked interest in India when the former NDA had launched the Interlinking of rivers project in 2003.The then Chairman of the Task Force on the Inter-Linking of Rivers and Minster of Railways, Suresh Prabhu during his visit Beijing said India will study the project to understand it.
