In the next 5 to 10 years, Xi'an will speed up its implementation of the Eight Rivers Benefiting Xi’an Program by following the thinking of protecting, introducing and treating water so as to basically solve the problem of water shortage, flood and drought and water pollution, etc, build Xi’an into a modern ecological metropolis with city surrounded and beautified by water, and provide water guarantee for the construction of an international metropolis.

The Eight Rivers Benefiting Xi’an Program is one of the major missions specified for Xi’an CPC Committee and Municipal Government for Xi’an development in the 12th Five-Year Plan period and even a longer term. It is also a project that benefits all people in the city. The Program, to sum up, is to implement Project 571028, meaning protect, improve, upgrade or construct 5 water diversion projects, 7 wetlands, 10 rivers, 28 lake pools. Compared with the previous Eight Rivers Surrounding Xi’an Program, the new program has richer connotation which will not only benefit the city with water, but also benefit all people of the city.

At present, there are 54 rivers and 96 reservoirs with a total storage capacity of 405 million cubic meters in Xi’an. However, water resource per capita is only 278 cubic meters, only accountable for one third and one sixth respectively of the province and the national, making Xi’an a city with extreme water shortage. In recent years, with the implementation of a number of key water conservancy projects, Xi'an ecological water environment is improving and the cumulative acreage of ecological water surface has reached 4.5 million mu, 4 square meters per capita. A new pattern of city water system is taking shape with Chanba and Guangyun Pond in the east, Feng River and Kunming Pool in the west, Tangcheng and Qujiang Lake in the South, Weiyang and Hancheng Lake in the north, City Moats of Ming and Qing Dynasties in the center of the city.

In the next 5 to 10 years, Xi'an will also upgrade the Dayu Reservoir water introducing project for the artificial lake in the aerospace base, South Qujiang Lake, Datang Lotus Garden, Xingqing Lake, and city moats, etc, so as to achieve water cycle and improve water quality. The total pipeline length is 40 kilometers. An east-west direction artificial river will be built in the South Third Ring Road to connect Kunming Lake and South Qujiang Lake. At the same time, the Dahuan River in the western suburban area will be treated to transform the 6 km-long rain and Sewage River into a clean river. Additionally, following the country’s efforts in treating small and medium-sized rivers, Xi’an will implement preliminary treatment of the Heihe River and Ba River. And treatment is expected to be finished in 2014.

To realize the goal of the Program, Wei Minzhou, Member of Provincial CPC Standing Committee and Secretary of Xi'an Municipal CPC Committee required to accelerate the planning and ensure the high standards for the planning compiling work. He insisted that the planning should be unified and implemented phase by phase. Water resource-related department should play the leading role in direction, coordination and supervision and relevant districts and counties should organize the implementation of projects one by one so as to protect and make full use of the water system of Xi’an and enable the citizens to enjoy its beauty