China's South-North water diversion middle route - in pictures

The Danjiangkou reservoir from the Danjiangkou dam on Han Jiang, a tributary of the Yangtze River, part of the central route of the south-to-north water transfer project in Danjiangkou city Photograph: How Hwee Young/EPA

Workers build a balustrade at the construction site of a channel transferring water from the Danjiangkou reservoir to Beijing, part of the central route of the water transfer project in Xichuan county, Henan province Photograph: How Hwee Young/EPA

A channel transferring water from the Danjiangkou reservoir to Beijing Photograph: How Hwee Young/EPA

A view of a wall showing the proposed water level of 170 metres of the Danjiangkou reservoir, which will submerge the surroundings of Cangfang town, Xichuan county of Henan province Photograph: How Hwee Young/EPA

The remains of villages that have been demolished to make way for the project Photograph: How Hwee Young/EPA

Rubbish in the waters of Han Jiang, a tributary of the Yangtze River, in front of the Danjiangkou Dam, part of the central route of the south-to-north water transfer project in Danjiangkou City, Hubei province, China Photograph: How Hwee Young/EPA

Fishermen in front of the Danjiangkou dam Photograph: How Hwee Young/EPA

Rubbish is seen in the waters of Han Jiang, a tributary of the Yangtze river, in front of the Danjiangkou dam Photograph: How Hwee Young/EPA

Chinese fishers transfer the day's catch of shrimp from their boat to a basket on Danjiangkou reservoir Photograph: How Hwee Young/EPA

Migrant farmer Xu Qingiang tills his farmland, with the tombstones of local neighbours' relatives visible in the background near their resettlement village in Hui county of Henan province. Farmland in the new settlement is drier and less fertile than they were used to in Xichuan Photograph: How Hwee Young/EPA

Migrant villager Chen Xianying does needlework while children play in the new migrant resettlement village of Cangfang town that relocated to Hui county, Henan province. While some have embraced their new homes and lives, others complain of shoddy housing and amenities, barren farmland, inadequate compensation and strife among new communities Photograph: How Hwee Young/EPA

Migrant villager Chen Xianying with her cross-stitch work in her new home in the resettlement village of Hui county, Henan province. Chen, a former farmer in Xichuan county, spends most of her time doing needlework at home. She says the new location is more accessible to the outside world than the mountainous Xichuan and her family could make more money working in a factory here than farming Photograph: How Hwee Young/EPA

Migrant farmer Ge Dewei, his wife Guo Qingju and their two sons Guo Xiangwen and Xianwu sit on a tractor they brought from their old home in Xichuan to their new farmland in Hui county, Henan province. Ge says it is difficult to water the land in the new area due to the dry climate and he has been making losses for the past year. He is unhappy with the compensation for his old farmland in Xichuan Photograph: How Hwee Young/EPA

Migrant villagers Zhu Fei and his wife Wang Xiu with their son Zhu Qiu in their home in the new resettlement village of Hui county. The couple were both from Cangfang town in Xichuan county but only met and fell in love when they were relocated to Hui county Photograph: How Hwee Young/EPA

Musicians play music to bid farewell to migrant villagers of Cangfang town as they drive by in buses for relocation to the neighbouring Hui county, more than 500km away Photograph: How Hwee Young/EPA

Relatives of migrant villagers of Cangfang town look on as buses board ferry barges to cross the Danjiangkou reservoir on their way for relocation to Hui county Photograph: How Hwee Young/EPA

Workers busy at the construction site of the Taocha canal head works, the 'tap' of the channel transferring water from Danjiangkou reservoir to Beijing, in June 2010 Photograph: How Hwee Young/EPA

Workers busy at the construction site of the Taocha canal head works, the 'tap' of the channel transferring water from Danjiangkou reservoir to Beijing, in June 2010 Photograph: How Hwee Young/EPA

Archaeologists and villagers work on an archaeological site of an ancient burial ground believed to be 5,000 to 7,000 years old in Xichuan county, Henan province, in June 2010. They have been working to save cultural and heritage relics before they are submerged by water from the Danjiangkou dam reservoir in 2014 Photograph: How Hwee Young/EPA

Migrant villagers Wang Chaosheng and his family look around their new home in Hui county after being relocated to make way for the South-North Water Transfer project in Henan province in June 2010 Photograph: How Hwee Young/EPA

Migrant villagers of Cangfang town look at complementary appliances in their new home as they arrive in the resettlement village in Hui county, June 2010 Photograph: How Hwee Young/EPA

A migrant villager of Cangfang town reacts as she arrives in her new resettlement village in Hui county, June 2010 Photograph: HOW HWEE YOUNG/EPA