BEIJING — The Grand Canal, a vast waterway connecting the northern and southern parts of China, is set to see all of its dried-out sections refilled this year as a water-supply project kicked off on April 14.

Launched by Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and Shandong — four of the regions the canal flows through, this project is estimated to inject 515 million cubic meters of water into the northern part of the canal, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.

The water will primarily come from other water bodies including some sections of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, recycled water and accumulated rainwater, the ministry said.

Once completed, this project is expected to increase the water surface of the Grand Canal by 9.5 square km from a year earlier, the ministry said, adding that this will help improve the ecosystems along the canal.

With a history of more than 2,500 years, the Grand Canal connects Beijing and Hangzhou in East China's Zhejiang province, which served as a significant transportation artery in ancient China. The longest and oldest artificial waterway in the world, the Grand Canal is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Due to historical evolution, human activities and climate change, some sections of the canal began to dry up in the first half of the 20th century.