As of Nov. 30, 2015, the middle line of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project had supplied 2.4 billion cubic meters of water to 17 cities along the line, said Secretary Zhou Ji of the Shiyan Municipal Committee of the CPC. This news was announced at the Water City Forum held in Danjiangkou city, a county-level city reporting to Shiyan city, in Hubei on Dec. 12, 2015.

Just over one year ago, on Dec. 12, 2014, the middle line of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project was officially put into use. The 1,432 kilometer-long canal connects Shiyan and Beijing, and brings water to 38 million people. 

Zhou Ji explained that, as the core location for the mid-line project, the city has fulfilled its responsibility to protect water quality. For many years, environmental protection has always been prioritized over industrial development in the area. In the past three years, 22 investment projects that didn't meet the environmental requirements were rejected by the Shiyan city government. In the past five years, a total of more than 300 million yuan has been invested in wastewater treatment. And in the past ten years, over 100 polluting factories have been shut down.

"Currently, the water quality in the Hanjiang River in Shiyan and the Danjiangkou Reservoir meets requirements for national surface water quality class II or above. Among the 109 indexes of water quality monitoring, 106 indexes have achieved the national standard," said Zhou Ji.