The first phase of the eastern route of China's gigantic South-to-North Water Diversion Project is scheduled to be completed in 2007, starting to divert water from the Yangtze River to east China's Jiangsu and Shandong provinces, official sources said.

The water conservancy department of Jiangsu Province -- through which a large section of the project will go -- has strengthened supervision over the schedule, quality and funding of the project, an official in charge of the Jiangsu section construction said Friday in Nanjing.

The massive project, which began construction in December 2002, will divert water from the Yangtze, China's longest river, to the country's drought-affected north via eastern, central and western routes.

The eastern route will divert water from the lower reaches of the Yangtze River near Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province, to Hebei and Tianjin by way of the northern section of the Grand Canal.

The route runs for 1,150 km. According to the initial plan, about 13 stairways with more than 20 large and 35 small pumping stations will be built along the route, elevating the water a total of 60 meters.

Construction of the eastern route started in December 2002. Upon its completion in 2007, it is expected to provide 14.3 billion cubic meters of water per year to Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong and Hebei provinces and Tianjin Municipality.