The government will spend 12 billion yuan ($1.92 billion) to improve water quality on the middle route of the south-to-north water diversion project from 2011 to 2015.
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The money will be used to build sewage and garbage treatment facilities, Â conserve soil and treat polluted rivers, agricultural pollution and mine tailings in the Danjiangkou Reservoir and its upper reaches in Central China's Hubei province, according to an inter-ministerial conference held on Wednesday.
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The Danjiangkou Reservoir is a major water source along the south-north water diversion project's middle route.
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Water quality in some tributaries served by the reservoir has not met targeted levels, according to Du Ying, vice-minister of the National Development and Reform Commission.
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He urged local authorities to speed up efforts to treat pollution and ensure the improvement of water quality.
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The massive south-north water diversion project is designed to take water from China's longest river, the Yangtze, to feed drought-prone areas in the north, including Beijing. Water will flow northward via three routes - an eastern route, a middle route and a western route.
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The project started with the construction of the eastern route in 2002. The construction of the middle route followed in 2003.Â