The national capital Beijing will divert 300 million cubic meters of water from the Yellow River, the second longest river of China, to supplement the expected water shortage next year, official sources said on Friday. 

The starting point of the water diversion will be the Wanjiazhai Reservoir in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, located at the juncture area between Shanxi Province and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in north China, said Ran Lianqi, head of the policy research office of the Beijing Municipal Water Affairs Administration.

He did not disclose the specific date of the water diversion.

Yellow River water will run for about 400 kilometers through the Yellow River-Shanxi water diversion channel, the Huihe River and Sanggan River before finally reaching the Guanting Reservoir in Beijing.

Given the penetration along the route, about 150 million cubic meters will be finally diverted to Beijing, and Yellow River water will be mainly used for industrial purposes, said Ran.

The Yellow River water will not only ease the water shortage but will also help recover vegetation in areas it flows through, Ran said, adding the project will end in 2007 when several other water projects begin providing water for Beijing.

Beijing is one of the major Chinese cities facing grave water shortage. Beijing's per capita quota of water resources is less than 300 cubic meters, only one-eighth of the national per capita quota and one-30th of the world average.

(Xinhua News Agency November 26, 2005)