Abstract: Hanjiang River is the largest branch of the Yangtze River and also the middle and lower reaches are the highest intensive economic bases of Hubei Province. Hanjiang Basin also meets some obstacles such as the great threat from flooding, lower level of water resource use, faint construction of environment and ecology, environment deqradation by traditional agriculture and industry, and inefficient management of water resources. The middle route project of South to North Water Transfer and related projects will drive the local economic development, but reduce water from the upper reach of Hanjiang River, thus changing the water resource distribution in the middle and lower reaches with some conflicting consequences between social economic development and ecoenvironment. It is necessary to grasp the opportunity of the middle route project of South to North Water Transfer, and to renovate the idea and study the program, and to pay attention to the ecoenvironment protection and project construction,as well as to establish corresponding police and law and the drainage area management department, to guarantee the sustainable development in the middle and lower reaches of Hanjiang River.

Key words: South to North Water Transfer, the middle and lower reaches of Hanjiang River, sustainable development, effect