STORY: New shipping route on mega water diversion project starts trial operation in China's Anhui
DATELINE: Aug. 16, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:55
LOCATION: HEFEI, China
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. STANDUP (English): HE XIYUE, Xinhua Correspondent
2. various of the project
3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): CHEN XI, General Manager of Anhui Provincial Group Limited for Yangtze-to-Huaihe Water Diversion

STORYLINE:

STANDUP (English): HE XIYUE, Xinhua Correspondent
"I am now at a mega water diversion project located in east China's Anhui Province. On the morning of August 16, the first ship departed from here to the Huaihe River, marking the official opening of an essential section of this water diversion project to the public, which links China's largest river, the Yangtze River, and the Huaihe River."

The water diversion project, which is 723 km long and took six years to construct, will supply water to 15 cities in east China's Anhui Province and central China's Henan Province. It is expected to benefit more than 50 million people.
 
Besides supplying water for residents and developing shipping, this project will also be used for agricultural irrigation and will help improve the ecological environment of both the Huaihe River and Chaohu Lake.
 
SOUNDBITE (Chinese): CHEN XI, General Manager of Anhui Provincial Group Limited for Yangtze-to-Huaihe Water Diversion
"This water diversion project has connected the two major water systems of the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River in Anhui Province, and built a second north-south water transport artery parallel to the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, which has effectively promoted the integrated development of transportation in the Yangtze River Delta.
This project shortens the water transportation distance between the Huaihe River and the Yangtze River by 200 kilometers to 600 kilometers, making water transport smoother, more convenient, more economical, and more eco-friendly. It is estimated that in the future, it will save more than 6 billion yuan (about 822.6 million U.S. dollars) in bulk cargo freight each year, and reduce carbon emissions by nearly 1.8 million tonnes per year."

This complex water project overcame multiple technical difficulties during construction and also took biodiversity conservation into consideration. The channel was moved westward to make way for migratory birds, while multiple passageways were built to facilitate fish migration.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Hefei, China.
(XHTV)