Quotable

Beijing will do its best to save water. I am calling for all people in the capital to cherish, save and make good use of every drop."

Wang Anshun, mayor of Beijing, promises citywide water conservation efforts on Saturday as water from a river in southern China flows into Beijing after a journey of more than 1,200 km on the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. It took 15 days for the water to arrive in Beijing from its source - the Hanjiang River, a tributary of the Yangtze. This marks the completion of the middle route's first stage, which began 12 years ago. Beijing, on average, consumes 3.6 billion cubic meters of water annually.