BEIJING, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Beijing's tap water has become cleaner thanks to China's south-to-north water diversion project, officials said Monday.

About 1.6 billion cubic meters of water has been transferred to Beijing since late 2014 when water diversion began via the middle route of the project, directly benefiting more than 11 million people in the capital, according to the project's construction commission office in Beijing.

Hard mineral sediment levels have decreased from 380 milligrams per liter to between 120 mg and 130 mg per liter, down by about 60 percent, according to the office.

Before the water diversion, Beijing's water sources, mainly from underground, were more susceptible to mineral incrustation from calcium and magnesium ion, posing potential health hazards.

The middle route of China's south-to-north water diversion project carries a massive 9.5 billion cubic meters of water through canals and pipes annually from the Danjiangkou reservoir in central China's Hubei Province to the provinces of Henan and Hebei as well as Beijing.

The water transfer project was conceived by former Chairman Mao Zedong in 1952. The State Council approved the ambitious project in December 2002 after nearly half a century of debate.