On November 24, 2000, Guidelines on Safety Evaluation of South-to-North Water Diversion Middle Route Project, chiefly drafted by MWR Dam Safety Management Center (DSMC), were officially issued. It is an enterprise standard sponsored by Construction and Administration Bureau of South-to-North Water Diversion Middle Route Project.

The South-to-North Water Diversion Middle Route Project is characterized with long route, numerous types and numbers of structures, complex engineering geological conditions and operation environment. To ensure its safe operation, it is necessary to establish a sound safety evaluation mechanism, improve safety evaluation methods and propose technical evaluation standards. To this end, Construction and Administration Bureau of South-to-North Water Diversion Middle Route Project entrusted DSMC to undertake the research on safety evaluation mechanism, and the compilation of the Safety Appraisal Methods for South-to-North Water Diversion Middle Route Project and the Guidelines.

DSMC attached great importance to the compilation of the Guidelines. With the support and coordination of Construction and Administration Bureau of South-to-North Water Diversion Middle Route Project, DSMC organized a team composed of experts from DSMC, MWR Planning and Design Administration of South-to-North Water Diversion Project, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, MWR Sluice Safety Management Center, Hohai University, Nanjing R&D Tech Group Co., Ltd., MWR Rural Electrification Research Institute and other institutes to undertake the compilation. Through typical field investigation, data collection and analysis, differentiated and operable safety appraisal methods have been proposed, and an annual safety assessment and a safety appraisal mechanism combining single item, special item, and comprehensive safety appraisal established. A systematic and hierarchical safety evaluation system and standards have thus been established. From October 29 to 30, 2020, the South-to-North Water Diversion Project Expert Committee organized a meeting in Beijing conducting technical consultation on the Guidelines. In order to make proper safety evaluation and standardize the evaluation content, methods and safety criteria for the Middle Route Project, a major strategic infrastructure, it is necessary to formulate the Guidelines. The Guidelines are of sufficient compilation basis, reasonable structural framework, correct technical routes, comprehensive content, and strong operability.

The issue and implementation of the Guidelines will provide a scientific basis for standardizing the safety appraisal of the Middle Route Project, and provide a basis for decision-making of the project operation scheduling, water shut-off maintenance, etc., to effectively reduce the operation risks, and ensure the operation safety and water supply safety of the project.