South to North Water Transfer ----- West Line Project 南水北调工程

紫露草

South to North Water Transfer ----- West Line Project  
南水北调工程
  

Diverting water from the upper reach of the Changjiang River to the Yellow River is a strategic project to solve the problem of drought and water shortage in the north-west and north area of China.

   Since the first expedition conducted by the Yellow River Conservancy Commission in 1952, the Yellow River Conservancy Commission and other departments concerned have been conducting a large amount of survey, research and planning. In 1987, the State Planning Commission listed the West Line Project in the agenda and required that the possibility and feasibility of the West Line Project must be answered within 10 years. The Yellow River Conservancy Commission and other departments concerned did a lot of on-the-spot investigation in the water-diversion area and the neighboring areas which are remote, high, cold and short of oxygen. The Preliminary Research Report on South-to-North Water Transfer ----- West Line Project and The Planning Research Report on Transferring Water from the Yalongjiang River were proposed. These two reports have been checked and accepted by the State Planning Commission and the Ministry of Water Resources. The research and planning on water transferring from the Tongtianhe River and the Daduhe River are almost completed. The Comprehensive Planning and Research Report on South to North Water Transfer ----- West Line Project was proposed in 1996.

The Transferable Amount and the Supply Range

     In the 1950’s and 1960’s, the plan of water diversion from the 5 rivers, namely the Tongtianhe River, the Yalongjiang River, the Daduhe River, the Lancangjiang River and the Nujiang River was considered. But the scale of the project is too big and it can only be regarded as a long-range plan.

According to the planning and research of the water-diversion possible from the Tongtianhe River, the Yalongjiang River and the Daduhe River, the annual transferable amount from these three rivers is about 20 billion cubic meters, in which 10 billion cubic meters is from the Tongtianhe River, the upper reach of the Changjiang River, 5 billion cubic meters from the Yalongjiang River, a branch of the Changjiang River, and 5 billion cubic meters from the Daduhe River. The supply range covers Qinghai province, Gansu province, Ningxia Autonomous Region, Shaanxi province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Shanxi province.


Project Layout

Bayankala Mountain is the great divide on the upper reaches of the Changjiang River and the upper reaches of the Yellow River. In this area, the river-bed of the Yellow River is 80—450 m higher than that of the Changjiang River. Any water transfer project will need to build a high dam for backwater or a pumping station to pump water and to excavate a tunnel through the Bayankala Mountain. The diversion methods possible include gravity flow and lifting. No matter what the method is, a 200-meter-high-dam must be built and a 100-km-long-tunnel excavated.  

The Initial Research on the Diversion Line

1.  Diversion from the Yalongjiang River

    Build a multi-purpose project at Changxu on the Yalongjiang River. The water will flow by gravity to the Qiageinong, a branch of the Yellow River. The dam height of the proposed multi-purpose project is 175 meters. This line is a 131-km- long tunnel all the way.


2.       Diversion from Tongtianhe River

    This plan is combined with the plan of diversion from the Yalongjiang River, i.e., it is the second phase of the diversion project from the Yalongjiang River. Build a multi-purpose project at Tongjia on the Tongtianhe River, the water will flow by gravity to the Yalongjiang River, and then be diverted from here to the Qiageinong, a branch of the Yellow River. The dam height of the proposed multi-purpose project is 302 meters. The line is a 289-km-long tunnel all the way, in which the tunnel from Tongjia to the Yalongjiang River is 158 km long and the tunnel from the Yalongjiang River to the Yellow River is 131 km long.

3. Diversion from the Daduhe River

Build a multi-purpose project at Xiernuo on the Zumuzu River, the upper reach of the Daduhe River. Pump water to the Jiaqu River, a branch of the Yellow River. The dam height is 296 m, and the line is 30 km long, in which the length of tunnel is 28.5 km. The pumping lift is 458m, and the annual consumption of power is 7.1 billion KWH.

The Benefits of the Project

The west-line project can transfer water of about 20 billion cubic meters, and develop an irrigation area of about 30 million mu for the six provinces or autonomous regions mentioned above. It is able to supply 9 billion cubic meters for daily life and industry, and will promote the economic development of the north-west area and improve the

ecology of the Loess Plateau.

Technical Feasibility

    The west-line project is located on the Qingzang Plateau, the average elevation is 3000 – 4000 m. Build a 200-meter-high-dam and excavate several-hundred-meter-deep and 100 km-long tunnel in the high and cold area which has the most complex geological structure. The intensity of earthquake is 6—7 degree, in some places even 8---9 degree. The technique is very complicated and the construction environment very difficult. Therefore, the preparatory work should be improved and scientific research should be conducted to solve this problem.

                               
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Source, http://www.yrcc.gov.cn/eng/