A forestation program was kicked off on Friday to make China's South-to-North Water Diversion Project greener.

The program focus on ecological construction, water source protection, and prevention and protection of water pollution, Wang Zhibao, chairman of China Green Foundation (CGF), a co-initiator of the project, said.

The efforts also include building Clean Water Hope Schools and clinic stations for peasants affected by the water program, which is scheduled for completion in 2050.

The program was initiated after a year of comprehensive field research by the Great Wall Greening Promotion Association of China, which found severe water and soil erosion in the Danjiang River area of Henan Province, a key site of the SNWDP, Jia Yuzhang, president of the organization and son of Jia Lanpo, one of China's most distinguished archaeologists, told China Daily.