"The second phase of the Han-to-Wei Water Diversion Project is being accelerated, and it is expected to be completed and begin conveying water in 2026; all 13 tunnels of the Yulin Yellow River East Route Mazhen Water Diversion Project have been holed through, and it is expected to be completed and begin conveying water in 2025." On November 26, the Information Office of the Provincial Government held a press conference. Zuo Huaili, first-level inspector and spokesperson of the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Water Resources, introduced the province's water network development.

Second Phase of Han-to-Wei Water Diversion Project Accelerated; Expected to Be Completed and Begin Conveying Water in 2026

Zuo Huaili introduced that Shaanxi is accelerating implementation of the major arterial projects of the provincial water network backbone. The Qinling water conveyance tunnel of the Han-to-Wei Water Diversion Project, the province's "South-to-North Water Diversion" project, has been fully holed through; the Sanhekou Water Conservancy Hub and the Huangjinxia Water Conservancy Hub have closed their gates and begun impounding, and water was successfully conveyed in July 2023, with cumulative supply to Xi'an exceeding 100 million cubic meters. "Preliminary work has made phased progress on a large number of major water diversion and transfer projects that bear on the overall regional development, such as the Dongzhuang Water Conservancy Hub water supply, the Guxian Water Conservancy Hub Shaanxi water supply, the Bailongjiang-to-Yan'an water supply, and the Jialing-to-Han diversion. Comprehensive management of major rivers such as the Weihe, Hanjiang, and Wuding rivers has achieved notable results, basin disaster prevention and mitigation capacity has been continuously strengthened, and the ecological environment of rivers and lakes continues to improve. The main backbone of the Shaanxi water network is taking shape at an accelerated pace," said Zuo Huaili.

Focusing on networking, filling gaps, and strengthening chains, the province is striving to advance the construction of provincial-level backbone water network corridors. Construction of the Xianyang Beiyuan urban and rural water supply project (Phase II) of the Han-to-Wei Water Diversion, the East Main Canal renovation project of the Shitouhe Reservoir irrigation district, and the Yulin Wanggedu Reservoir-to-Jingbian water diversion project is being pushed forward at full speed, concentrating efforts on resolving prominent problems such as the contradiction between regional water supply and demand and further strengthening the level of water supply security. It is reported that the second phase of the Han-to-Wei Water Diversion Project is expected to be completed and begin conveying water in 2026. "Accelerate the planning and construction of municipal- and county-level water networks. Among the province's 11 cities (districts), the municipal-level water network plans of Yan'an, Baoji, Yulin, Ankang, Weinan, Xianyang, and Shangluo have all been approved and issued. Of the 100 counties (districts) in the province that need county-level water network plans, 71 have completed preparation. Yan'an City and Fuping County of our province have been designated national pilot areas for water network construction, providing demonstration and guidance for high-quality advancement of water network development."

Dongzhuang Water Conservancy Hub Expected to Close Gates and Impound Water by the End of 2025

Zuo Huaili introduced that the province is accelerating the construction of controlling storage projects and key water source projects. The Dongzhuang Water Conservancy Hub, an important node project of the Guanzhong regional water network, has seen its dam pouring height exceed 160 meters, and it is expected to close its gates and impound water by the end of 2025. The Guxian Water Conservancy Hub on the Yellow River, a core project of the Yellow River water and sediment regulation system and an important node project of the national water network, started construction on July 9 this year. A large number of key water source projects have started construction, including the Ankang Henghe Reservoir, the Linyou Puhua Reservoir, and the capacity expansion of the Yan'an Wangyao Reservoir. Preliminary work is being accelerated on important regional water network node projects such as the Hanzhong Jiaoyan Reservoir, the Xi'an Bailuyuan (Jingyugou) Reservoir, and the Mianxian Yudaihe Reservoir. "In light of the actual conditions of the Yellow River basin in our province—regional climate change, topography, and water demand—and on the basis of meeting instream ecological flow and water withdrawal quotas, we will make coordinated plans to advance the construction of a batch of small reservoir projects, enlarge the 'basin for holding water,' further enhance the resilience of the water network in the Yellow River basin in our province, and leave ample room for water use in regional economic and social development."

Zuo Huaili stated that next, the Provincial Department of Water Resources will advance the construction of major water network backbone projects to high standards, systematically optimize the pattern of water resource allocation, continue to do a good job in the conservation and intensive use of water resources, and effectively improve the province's water resource carrying capacity.

The Province Has Built About 400 Kilometers of Water Network Arterial Projects

"We plan to build the 'five verticals and ten horizontals' Shaanxi water network, based on the eight main natural river systems of the Yellow River, Beiluo River, Jinghe River, Jialing River, Wuding River, Yanhe River, Weihe River, and Hanjiang River, with the main skeleton consisting of seven artificial water conveyance and distribution corridors: the main trunk line of the Han-to-Wei Water Diversion Project, the Yulin transverse line, the Yan'an transverse line, the Beiyuan transverse line, the Weibei transverse line, the Lingbei transverse line, and the Lingnan transverse line. We will implement five key tasks: water supply security, flood and waterlogging disaster prevention, water ecological protection and restoration, digital twin water network construction, and institutional and mechanism reform."

When introducing the overall layout and construction tasks of the "Shaanxi Water Network," Zuo Huaili said that the provincial water network plan includes 4,100 kilometers of artificial water diversion and transfer projects, of which 1,600 kilometers are water network arterial projects and 2,500 kilometers are backbone water conveyance and distribution corridors, along with 77 hub reservoirs, with a total investment of 600.6 billion yuan, ultimately forming an overall water network pattern of "two regions connected, three zones interconnected, multiple reservoirs jointly regulated, and five verticals and ten horizontals."

In recent years, Shaanxi has focused on accelerating the construction of a water network project that is "systematically complete and safe and reliable, intensive and efficient, green and intelligent, smoothly circulating, and orderly regulated," and has continued to expand effective investment in water conservancy construction. A number of major projects that bear on regional economic and social development, such as the main trunk line of the Han-to-Wei Water Diversion and the Yan'an Yellow River diversion, have been completed and begun conveying water. At present, the province has built about 400 kilometers of water network arterial projects and about 500 kilometers of backbone water conveyance corridors. As of the end of 2023, the province had built 1,060 reservoirs with a total storage capacity of 11.7 billion cubic meters, a water supply capacity of 13.5 billion cubic meters, an irrigated area with facilities of 17.73 million mu, and a rural tap water penetration rate of 95.6%.