BEIJING - The first phase of the middle route of the south-to-north water diversion project has delivered more than 865 million cubic meters of water to 30 rivers in the north, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.

The project channeled water from Danjiangkou Reservoir to the 30 rivers in Tianjin Municipality as well as Hebei and Henan provinces, between April 13 and the end of June.

Chen Mingzhong, head of water resources department at the ministry said that wetlands and lakes along the route saw greater volume and better quality, and that underground water pressure had been eased.

The Baohe Reservoir, for example, in the upstream of Baiyangdian Lake in Hebei, dried up for 36 years but now has abundant water thanks to the project.

The south-to-north water diversion project, the world's largest, takes water from the Yangtze to feed dry areas in the north through eastern, middle and western routes.

The first phase of the middle route begins at Danjiangkou in Hubei and runs through Henan and Hebei before reaching Beijing and Tianjin.

Since December 2014, the route has transferred more than 15 billion cubic meters of water to China's northern regions.