Preparations are under way to carry 30 million tons of water from Shanxi Province to neighboring Beijing next week to alleviate severe water shortage in the capital city.

It will be the first time Beijing receives water from other provinces, according to the Beijing Evening Newspaper. The water will flow from Cetian Reservoir, Shanxi's second-largest, along 196 kilometers of waterway into Beijing's Guanting Reservoir.

(eastday.com September 20, 2003)