South-North water canal a double-edged sword

In his New Year address, top leader Xi Jinping lauded the newly opened South-North Water Diversion Project.

Xi said: "On Dec 12, the first phase of the central route of the Water Diversion Project from South to North was officially completed. More than 400,000 residents along the route were relocated. We pay our sincere tributes to them for their sacrifice, and wish them a happy life in their new homes."

Many people are convinced that the project will help solve the water problem of northern China. At almost $80 billion, the water project is one of the most expensive engineering projects in the world and is aimed at diverting 44.8 billion cubic meters of water from the Yangtze River to the northern part of the country every year.