The second phase of the Taipu River project has commenced.

A reporter learned from the Taihu River Basin Administration of the Ministry of Water Resources that the next phase, Phase I of the Taipu River project will start on the 26th. After the project is implemented, it will further strengthen flood control safety, water supply safety, and ecological safety for the Taihu River Basin. According to the information, the Taipu River is 57.6 kilometers long, running across Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. It serves as the main corridor and major lifeline for flood control and water resources dispatch in the Taihu River Basin, playing an important role in addressing basin-wide floods in recent years. The Taipu River was excavated in 1958 and was expanded and rebuilt in 1978. After years of operation, the project has developed issues such as insufficient local flow-passing capacity, deteriorated levee revetments, escalating conflicts between floods and waterlogging, and shoreline functions that are not compatible with the requirements of the Changjiang River Delta ecological green integrated development demonstration zone. The total investment for the next Phase I of the Taipu River project is approximately 7.5 billion yuan. The preliminary construction preparation works that will be started first have a total investment of 178 million yuan. By the end of 2026, the main works will be fully commenced. Wu Wenqing, the chief planner of the Ministry of Water Resources, said that after the completion of the next Phase I of the Taipu River project, it will further improve the modern water network system of the Taihu River Basin, expand the routes for evacuating basin floods, enhance the region’s flood control and waterlogging-removal capacity, and improve the ability to ensure water supply safety from Taihu to downstream areas, achieving the unity of economic, social, ecological, and safety benefits. (Xinhua News Agency)