Calls for five new reservoirs in Beijing

The Beijing municipal government should build five reservoirs to store water from the South-to-North Water Transfer Project when it is partially completed in 2010, local geological authorities have said.

The project will divert 44.8 billion cu m of water a year from the Yangtze River to the northern provinces, including 1 billion by 2010 to Beijing.

The project, which will cost about 500 billion yuan ($72 billion), is scheduled for completion in 2050.