| Abstract: | This paper presents a brief review of the South to North Water Diversion Project (STNWDP) in China. Basic information about the geography, climate, water resource, water pollution and social situation are provided in order to understand the decision by the Chinese government on the expedited implementation of the STNWDP. The potential problems associated with the STNWDP are discussed. It is proposed that the ultimate objective is to help improve the water environment in north China, rather than to simply meet the ever-increasing water demand and to produce more sewage, and that water price, investment policy and engineering operations are important for achieving this objective. Legislation is needed in the long run because this project involves a large number of districts. The STNWDP, together with global climate warming, will enlarge the temporal variability of water discharge from the Yangtze into the sea and therefore have far-reaching effects on the freshwater resource in areas around the Yangtze delta. |
