Close-up of the $7 billion cross-mountain project connecting two rivers in China

On July 16, water began flowing into Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province, in a massive water diversion project that has been under construction for more than a decade.

It is a giant tunnel that carries water from the Han River to the Wei River . This is also a part of the largest water conservation project in Shaanxi Province (China). The project began construction in 2011 and was just completed after more than a decade at a cost of about 7.2 billion USD.

According to CGTN , the project is designed to bring water from the Hanjiang River, a major tributary of the Yangtze River, through a 98.3km-long tunnel to four densely populated urban areas along the Weihe River, a tributary of the Yellow River, in an effort to help ease water supply pressure.

Super project overcomes many geological challenges

Close-up of the Han Giang - Vi Ha water diversion project after more than a decade of construction.

Experts say the most challenging part of the project was the construction of a tunnel running from south to north under the Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi Province. Engineers and construction workers had to work 2 kilometers underground, enduring humidity, high temperatures, and other harsh geological conditions such as rough hard rocks, rockfalls, and especially strong underground water flows.

After more than a decade of construction with many technical and geological challenges, this water diversion project is expected to benefit more than 14 million people and help optimize the allocation of water resources in Shaanxi Province.

According to the Shaanxi Provincial Water Resources Administration, the project has completed phase one and is entering phase two. Once completed, the tunnel will transport water from the Han River to Xi'an, Xianyang, Weinan and Yangling in central Shaanxi Province, providing water for both industrial and residential areas. The multi-billion dollar project will play a key role in Shaanxi Province's economic and social development.

China's largest two-river water diversion project has completed phase 1 and will continue to implement phases 2 and 3.

Chen Zuyu, an expert at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that the completion of the water tunnel was a triumph of technology and perseverance. The expert asserted that the water project was huge, long-term and unimaginably difficult.

"We used drilling and blasting techniques combined with machinery to create a tunnel of more than 90 km, the process was really arduous. We experienced most of the geological fluctuations, including hard rock, high terrain, uncomfortable construction at high temperatures, or even encountering strong currents and landslides," Mr. Chen added.

This is not China's only grand water diversion project. Specifically, China has been building the Yangtze River to Huai River water diversion project for 6 years. This special project began construction in 2016 and will be put into trial operation at the end of 2022 with the participation of more than 20,000 workers.

The 723-km Yangtze River to Huai River mega-project has been in trial operation since late 2022.

With a length of 723km, the project supplies water to 15 cities in Anhui and Henan provinces (China), benefiting more than 50 million people. In addition to providing water and developing transportation, the project also serves irrigation and helps improve the ecological environment of the Huai River and Chao Lake.

In particular, with the advancement of technology, people living in places with water shortages can now use water sources brought from the Yangtze River.