As one of the three mega irrigation areas in China, the Pishihang Irrigation Area has always played a key role in ensuring regional food security and supporting agricultural development. Recently, the modernization project of this important irrigation area has taken substantial steps - the feasibility study report has been approved by the Anhui Provincial Development and Reform Commission, marking the beginning of the overall upgrading of the irrigation area.

Billion dollar investment covers three cities, upgrading irrigation areas benefits farmland

According to the official website of the Water Resources Department of Anhui Province, the modernization renovation project of Pishihang Irrigation Area has been included in the "National Agricultural Irrigation Development Plan" and the "dual" construction implementation plan in the field of water conservancy and meteorology, and has been selected as a relevant landmark project. The project covers three cities, Hefei, Lu'an, and Huainan, involving more than ten counties and districts including Shushan District, Economic Development Zone, Jin'an District, Yu'an District, and Shouxian County. The construction content covers the renovation of main and branch canals, connection of canal systems, treatment of drainage ditches, new and expanded pump stations, information technology construction, etc. The total investment is about 19.26 billion yuan, and the construction period is 48 months. The funding plan will be jointly solved by applying for central and provincial funds and combining local fundraising. After the completion of the project, it is expected to improve the irrigation area by 7.2 million mu, significantly enhancing the irrigation guarantee rate and water-saving benefits.

Pilot exploration of new models with social capital participation in operation

Before the overall project is promoted, the Pishihang Irrigation District has already carried out modernization pilot projects in some areas. In 2024, Jin'an Irrigation Area was selected as one of the second batch of pilot projects by the Ministry of Water Resources to deepen the comprehensive reform of agricultural water prices and promote the construction of modern irrigation areas. China South to North Water Diversion Group was introduced as a social capital party and implemented under a franchise model. The total investment of this project is about 890 million yuan, adopting the "investment construction operation integration" and "water agriculture integration" models, combined with measures such as agricultural water price reform, high standard farmland construction, and land transfer, to explore sustainable operation paths. Faced with the current scale of nearly 20 billion yuan of complete renovation, whether the pilot experience can be fully promoted or gradually expanded from point to area has become a practical issue worth paying attention to in project promotion. Keywords: engineering construction, engineering news, engineering construction information

The modernization of the Pishihang Irrigation District is not only a major water conservancy project, but also a key measure for the high-quality development of regional agriculture and the improvement of water security capabilities. From pilot exploration to overall layout, how to achieve mechanism innovation in fundraising, construction and operation will directly affect the sustainable development and long-term empowerment of irrigation areas in the new era. Editor/Xu Shengpeng