Picturesque scenery of Qiandao Lake, or Thousand-Island Lake, in Chun'an county of Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. With 1,078 islands, Qiandao Lake is a famous spot for sightseeing in China. [Photo/VCG]

Hangzhou residents are now able to have their water sourced from Qiandao Lake as the long-anticipated water channel project was completed on Sept 29.

Qiandao Lake, literally Thousand-Island Lake, is located to the west of Hangzhou. It is a famous man-made lake and reservoir. With 17.8 billion cubic meters of water, it boasts what some say is the highest quality water in China. 

Initiated in 2014, the water distribution project stretches 113 kilometers and aims to supply quality water to the urban area and main districts in Hangzhou. 

The project, which took five years to complete, means that Hangzhou’s water will no longer be limited to that from the Qiantang River. 

“It (the water channel project from Qiandao Lake) is an absolutely environmentally-friendly project”, an official in charge of the project said, “We installed special equipment to release pulse currents to prevent fish from entering the channeling tunnel.” 

Local residents are ecstatic at the news, with some of them even saying that they can now drink natural mineral water.

Water is channeled from Qiandao Lake to Hangzhou urban areas. [Photo/zj.zjol.com.cn]