Beijing residents will be able to drink water delivered by the South-North Water Diversion Project starting from October next year, People's Daily reported on Wednesday.

The project, which will supply more than 1 billion cubic meters of water to Beijing each year, is expected to alleviate the capital's water shortage and restore the dwindling supply of underground water.

The water from the diversion project is expected to make up one-fourth of the total water supply in the capital.

Underground water pumping will be halted by 2014 in the urban areas of Beijing as authorities seek to prevent further land sinking in the city.

The project, which began in 2002, is designed to take water from China's longest river, the Yangtze River, through three routes to feed dry areas in the north, including Beijing.