As water diversion projects such as the One Hundred Flowing into the Han and Wei rivers and the Da'an River diverting to Huangtang in the northern regions are increasing, what many people did not expect is that the Chengdu Plain, renowned for its moi

Sichuan is known as the province with thousands of rivers, but its water resources are unevenly distributed in time and space. Data shows that the GDP of the central Sichuan basin accounts for about 80% of the province, but its water resources only a

According to the Chengdu Water Development Plan for the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the amount of water resources per person in Chengdu is only about 600 cubic meters, and it is predicted that there will be a shortage of 1.2 to 1.67 billion cubic met

The Dujiangyan Irrigation Project is the backbone of the Chengdu Plain Economic Zone, but relying solely on the Minjiang River as a water source has become insufficient.

After decades of preparation, the project of diverting water from the Yellow River to the Chengdu Plain has been officially launched. Recently, Sichuan announced that the National Development and Reform Commission has officially approved the feasibil

This project diverts water from the Luding hydropower station reservoir on the main stream of the Dadu River to the Chengdu Plain. It is the largest water diversion project in Sichuan history with the longest water diversion route, benefiting 43 coun

Schematic diagram of the water diversion route of the Yingda-to-Minjiang project. Image source: Sichuan Daily

The water supply pattern of dual water sources and dual channels holds the expectation of solving the water shortage dilemma of the Chengdu Plain. By broadening our horizons to the whole country, in the past year, a number of cross-regional water tra

01

Project One

Sichuan's terrain is steep and undulating. Many rivers originate from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and flow through the Sichuan Basin. There are 1368 rivers with a drainage area of more than 100 square kilometers in the province, including 13 major rive

This has given Sichuan the reputation of being a province with thousands of rivers, ranking second in total water resources nationwide. However, the uneven spatial and temporal distribution of water resources in Sichuan has led to prominent water sup

Source of image: China Water Resources Bulletin 2024

In terms of time, the precipitation in Sichuan from May to October accounts for 70% of the whole year. In terms of space, five cities (prefectures) including Panzhihua, Liangshan, Ganzi, Aba, and Ya'an account for more than 60% of the total water res

Moreover, in recent years, with the continuous development of the economy and society, water consumption in Sichuan has been continuously increasing. The total water consumption in Sichuan from 2020 to 2024 is expected to be 23.686 billion cubic mete

From this perspective, the Dujiangyan Irrigation Project is like the lifeblood of the Chengdu Plain Economic Zone, diverting an average of 10 billion cubic meters of water per year, which is almost equivalent to 70% of the annual water supply from th

In Chengdu's 14th Five-Year Plan for Water Development, it has been specifically mentioned that in line with the development level of the city, the ability to guarantee water resources needs to be strengthened. The amount of water resources per perso

This has become the biggest bottleneck for water use in Sichuan, restricting the province's economic and social development. Since 2021, Sichuan has been promoting the Diversion of Large Rivers to Irrigate the Chengdu Plain project at a high level, l

02

Reshape the Water Network

As early as the 1950s, when discussing the potential water shortage issues that the Chengdu Plain might face in the future, experts had proposed the idea of diverting water from northwestern Sichuan to the central basin area. In the 1990s, Sichuan fo

Now, with the approval of the feasibility study report for the project to divert water from the great river to feed the Min River, this super project is expected to enter its construction phase soon, which will greatly alleviate the contradiction bet

The relevant leader of the Sichuan Provincial Water Resources Department said that after the completion of the project to divert water from the Min River to the Dujiang River, an additional 1.79 million mu of farmland will be irrigated, 5.91 million

This will further support Sichuan in reshaping its modern water network and obtaining water from both time and space. According to the Sichuan Modern Water Network Construction Plan, Sichuan has proposed to build the main framework and main artery of

Image Source: Modern Water Network Construction Plan of Sichuan Province

The sixth horizontal line is Dujiangyan, Water Diversion from Da to Min, Changzheng Canal, Xiangjiaba, Water Diversion from Ya to Ji 'an, and the Western Route of South-to-North Water Diversion Project. The sixth vertical line is Wudu, Shengzhong, Br

The Diversion Project of Great River to Min River is an important part of the One Horizontal project and a key backbone of Sichuan's modern water network system. In the view of Liu Changsheng, the deputy general manager of Sichuan Shuifa Design Compa

In addition to the Grand Diversion Project, Sichuan is also vigorously promoting major water network projects such as the Long March Canal water diversion, the second phase of the Pihe Water Supply Project, the second phase of the Xiangjiaba Irrigati

In July this year, the Sichuan Provincial Water Resources Department revealed in its response to the proposal of 'Accelerating the Construction of the Changzheng Canal to Ensure the Water Resource Security of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle' th

Meanwhile, the second phase of the Xiangjiangba Irrigation Project has been included in the national two-key areas construction plan, and is currently in the feasibility study stage. Construction will aim to commence in 2026.

The acceleration of these major projects will further reshape Sichuan's modern water network and strengthen the security baseline of regional development.

03

New Trends

Water is a controlling element of the ecological environment, determining the space for economic and social development.

As a major economic province in the west, Sichuan insists on taking industrial water as a growth pole in water resource management, and promotes the rigid landing of the Four Waters and Four Determinations (determinations based on water for city plan

Image Source: Shot by Fotoer_500946735

This is also a vivid reflection of how water resource allocation affects regional development. From a national perspective, the distribution of water resources is extremely uneven, especially in the basins of the Yellow River, Songhua River, Liaoning

According to the data disclosed by CCTV-3 in 2018, more than 400 cities across the country are experiencing water shortages, with 110 of them severely water-stressed. The uneven spatial and temporal distribution of water resources has become a key co

The most eye-catching project is the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, which has been proceeding in three lines in the East, Middle, and West. In December 2014, the middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project was officially opene

At the beginning of this year, the National Water Resources Conference in 2025 revealed that 41 major national water network projects were newly launched in 2024, with 46,967 water conservancy projects implemented and an investment of 1.3529 trillion

It also mentioned that "the Guxian Water Conservancy Project, a landmark major project for the protection and management of the Yellow River in the new era, has started construction","the construction of a number of major projects such as the middle

As the largest and most influential water conservancy project in Shaanxi's history, the first phase of the Han-to-Wei Water Diversion Project was completed in July 2023, successfully achieving initial water supply and officially supplying water to Xi

At the same time, the construction progress of major projects such as the Yangtze River Diversion Project to replenish Han Dynasty, the Beibu Gulf Rim Guangdong Water Resources Allocation Project, and the Central Yunnan Water Diversion Project has al

Li Guoying, Minister of Water Resources, revealed that by the end of 2024, China will have built a total of 95,000 reservoirs, 200 large and medium-sized water diversion projects, 6,924 large and medium-sized irrigation areas, and 318,000 kilometers

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China is expected to invest more than 5.4 trillion yuan in water conservancy construction, which is 1.6 times that of the 13th Five-Year Plan period. In particular, the leverage effect of large and medium-sized

This article is from the WeChat public account Urban Evolution