Beijing residents will be provided with 1 billion cubic meters of water from the Yangtze River every year starting in 2010 to ease the city's shortage in drinking water, accounting for 25 percent of its total water supply, China Business News reported Thursday.

The city will carry out several measures to ensure its water supply, especially during the 2008 Olympic Games, including imposing fees for water resources in the agricultural industry, said Bi Xiaogang, deputy director of the Municipal Water Affairs Bureau.

Bi said the 1 billion cubic meters of water won't influence the ecological environment and the water reserve in the Yangtze River.

The city's water mainly comes from Miyun Reservoir and Guanting Reservoir in the northern region. From 2002, it began an emergency project to introduce water from Hebei Province, as part of the massive south-to-north water diversion project. Hebei reservoir can offer Beijing 300 million cubic meters of water from 2008.

The south-to-north water diversion project, which began in December 2002, will channel water from the Yangtze, China's longest river, to the country's drought-affected north via eastern, central and western routes.

"It may affect Hebei's economic development as the province has to provide water to Beijing and Tianjin, so Beijing will help it develop by offering money and issuing preferential policies," Bi said.

Hu Bo, an official of the bureau, said Beijing needs up to 2.42 million tons of water every day in 2005, and the current facilities can offer 2.75 million tons of water, which will fall short of the needs during the Olympic Games.

Beijing Waterworks Group will renovate and enlarge its three biggest water plants in Beijing by the end of 2007, with an investment of 500 million yuan (US$62.5 million).

"By then, the water supply can reach 3 million tons every day," Hu said.

(Shanghai Daily June 30, 2006)