On the 15th, it was learned from China South to North Water Diversion Group East Route Co., Ltd. that since the official opening of water in November 2013, the first phase of the South to North Water Diversion East Route project has cumulatively diverted about 45 billion cubic meters of water from the Yangtze River, significantly improving people's livelihoods along the route and bringing good economic and ecological benefits. Hou Yu, Deputy Director of the General Dispatch Center of China South to North Water Diversion Group East Route Co., Ltd., introduced that the main water diversion line of the project is 1467 kilometers long, opening up a channel for the Yangtze River to divert water to the north, helping Jiangsu Province achieve a dual line water supply pattern, building a "T" - shaped backbone water network in Shandong Province, enhancing the water security guarantee capacity of Tianjin, Hebei and other places, and achieving the goal of supplementing urban living, industrial and environmental water for 21 prefecture level cities and 71 counties (cities, districts) under its jurisdiction in the three provinces of Jiangsu, Shandong and Anhui. The project effectively alleviated the water shortage problem in the Huang Huai Hai region. The guarantee rate of domestic and industrial water supply in cities within the water receiving area has increased from a minimum of less than 80% to over 97%. After the completion and operation of the project, the drainage area increased by 6800 square kilometers (including 7.16 million mu of arable land), playing an important role in ensuring the economic and social development and water security of the areas along the route. The project has promoted the recovery of the ecological environment of rivers and lakes. As of the end of September 2024, the project has supplied 675 million cubic meters of water to Hebei and Tianjin, and 571 million cubic meters of water to the Beijing Hangzhou Grand Canal. The water quality of the monitoring sections along the water transmission line has continuously and stably reached the Class III standard for surface water, and the water environment capacity and carrying capacity have been greatly improved. Lakes along the line, such as Nansi Lake and Dongping Lake, have completely overcome the dilemma of drying up. Engineering helps to further promote the smooth circulation of the North South economy. The annual navigable mileage of the Beijing Hangzhou Grand Canal reaches 877 kilometers, and the navigation standards and levels of some rivers such as the Jinbao Channel and Xuhong River in Jiangsu have been improved. Ships of 1000 to 2000 tons can travel smoothly from Dongping Lake to the Yangtze River without obstruction. Hou Yu stated that the next step will be to actively carry out the preliminary work for the follow-up projects of the East Line, enhance cooperation between enterprises and local areas, and effectively improve the comprehensive benefits of the first phase of the East Line project. (New Society)