Yellow River to ease strain on Beijing's water supply

Beijing’s dwindling water resources will receive a boost ahead of this summer’s Olympic Games as new supplies are diverted from the Yellow River, AFP reported. Starting in January, up to 150 million cubic meters of water will travel 399 kilometers along the ancient Grand Canal to Lake Baiyangdian, south of Beijing, over a three-month period. According to state media, this means four reservoirs that naturally serve Baiyangdian can instead provide additional water to Beijing. The Yellow River diversion will begin in Liaocheng, a city in Shandong province. This was also the site of an earlier diversion in November 2006, which saw 100 million cubic meters of water added to Baiyangdian. Water from the Yellow River is also being channeled to Qingdao’s Jihongtan reservoir. Qingdao will host the Olympic sailing events.