The eastern route of the project involves the current Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, which connects the Yangtze and the Huaihe Rivers. Waste discharge along the way constitutes a threat to water quality. Back in 2002, before the south-to-north water project began, the Jiangsu provincial government required substantial pollution control to be conducted simultaneously with work on the project.

    Later, at the instruction of the State Council, which stated "economize water first, transport water second, pollution control first, water use second," the provincial government made a list of 102 key pollution control projects. Up to now, 90 percent of the projects on the list have been completed, covering all the towns and cities along the route. This spectacular progress, marked by the completion of four key constructions at Jiangdu, Suqian, Huai'an and Xuzhou, will guarantee the quality of the water to be delivered.

    "Our guiding principle is to send clean water, not to relocate pollution sources," one engineer said. Another plan, which has already begun, is to prevent possible pollution the moment water enters the Yangtze and the sea. This will guarantee that the lower reaches of the Yangtze and coastal waters will be free of pollution.

An Experimental Site for New Technologies

    The south-to-north water project is a hugely complicated engineering feat that involves environmental protection, water pollution control, relocation of people, protection of historical relics, water efficiency, tapping underground water and industrial structural change. The difficulties and technical demands constitute tremendous challenges to the construction and the workers engaged in it, requiring many innovative ideas and the best work possible.

    Change and opportunity often travel hand in hand. All the construction sites have been turned into testing grounds for innovative ideas, and they have been rewarded with many top-quality results. From the beginning, while still in the design stage, all the construction projects in Jiangsu adopted a new market-oriented working mechanism.

    Every project is awarded through public bidding, and only the best company receives a contract. For building pumping stations, public bidding was involved from the outset, from their design to the solving of challenging technical problems, and this practice has brought about many award-winning constructions at national and provincial levels.

    Among them, the Jiangdu water conservancy pivot, the biggest electric power irrigation work in the Far East, already 50 years old, has been modernized to be one of the most effective in the country, and with the least amount of investment from the government.

    Technical innovation is the most notable feature of the south-to-north water project. It has also laid a solid foundation for quicker progress in Jiangsu.

Relocating People while Protecting Their Rights

    The south-to-north water project is an enormous one, requiring large numbers of people to be relocated along its way. Just along its eastern route in Jiangsu, it involves six cities, 25 counties and three large farms. About 7,000 acres of land needs to be requisitioned, and 700,000 square meters of housing pulled down, affecting some 200,000 residents. Without a comprehensive and scientific plan, a smooth relocation of people is impossible.

    To guarantee smooth progress of the project, while not neglecting the rights of those affected, the leaders of Jiangsu at the provincial, municipal and county levels have firmly followed state policy and the law concerning people's rights. All compensation has been effected in a transparent manner. The aim is not simply to relocate people, but to make sure they are well provided for and settle into their new lives successfully. Leaders at all levels have a clear-cut responsibility to conduct follow-up checks. This practice guarantees that people's interests are not violated in any way.

    So far, the relocation program has progressed smoothly. There have been no serious disputes at any level. Because of the government's care, those who have been relocated have actually experienced a rise in their living standards, and the local industrial structure has experienced a welcome change. To local people, the south-to-north water project is not just delivering water, it is bringing happiness as well.