As a major water conservancy project under the national "dual" construction, Jinggang Irrigation District will systematically optimize the water resource allocation pattern in Ji'an City, accelerate the construction of a modern water supply system with "large water sources, large water networks, and comprehensive planning", fundamentally alleviate the contradiction of water resource distribution of "more in the south and less in the north, more in the west and less in the east", and have significant and far-reaching significance for promoting the revitalization and high-quality development of revolutionary old areas.

Billion dollar project, benefiting millions of acres of fertile land

The Jinggang Irrigation Area Project is located in the Jitai Basin of Ji'an City, with a total investment of 13.407 billion yuan. It is the largest irrigation area project in Jiangxi Province with the widest range of benefits, and also a major water conservancy project under the national "dual" construction. The engineering plan takes Wan'an, CSR, Sheshang, Donggu and other reservoirs as the main water sources, supplemented by the diversion of water from the main and branch streams of the Ganjiang River. By building the Wan'an and Donggu main canals and adopting the "long vine and melon" model to connect small and medium-sized reservoirs in the region, a coordinated regional water resource allocation system is constructed.

The project will construct 4 new water intake points, 17 pump stations, 768 kilometers of main and branch channels (pipes), and renovate a total length of 80.3 kilometers of channels. After completion, it will benefit 1010 administrative villages in 7 counties (districts), 64 townships (towns, streets) of Ji'an City, meet the irrigation needs of 1.85 million acres of fertile land, and provide stable and reliable water sources for about 230000 people.

Guarding the Gan River but shouting 'thirsty'

Ji'an is a revolutionary old area, the location of the red cradle Jinggangshan, and an important grain production base in the country, known as the "granary of central Jiangxi". However, due to the imperfect water resource allocation system, historical arrears in irrigation infrastructure, and uneven spatial and temporal distribution of rainfall, regional, seasonal, and engineering water shortages still exist, and the ability to resist drought and reduce disasters is weak, which to some extent limits the sustained improvement of grain production capacity.

Guarding the Gan River, yet often worrying about the water, "sighed a local village official. In the past, due to inadequate water conservancy facilities, large areas of farmland could only rely on the weather for irrigation, resulting in extremely unstable harvests. Residents in some towns often face water shortages for their daily lives. The dilemma of "using too much and too coarse water" is precisely the problem that the Jinggang Irrigation District project needs to solve.

A water network, supporting the dream of revitalizing old areas

After the completion of the Jinggang Irrigation District project, the water resource allocation pattern in Ji'an City will be systematically optimized, and a modern water supply system with "large water sources, large water networks, and comprehensive planning" will be accelerated to fundamentally alleviate the water resource distribution contradiction of "more in the south and less in the north, and more in the west and less in the east", providing a solid guarantee for stable and high grain production and urban and rural water supply security in the region.

The project will increase irrigation area by 712400 mu, improve irrigation area by 405900 mu, and ensure irrigation area by 731700 mu. It will be divided into six irrigation areas: Donggu Irrigation Area, Sheshang Irrigation Area, Fuhua Mountain Irrigation Area, Nanche Irrigation Area, Wanzuo Irrigation Area, Jiaolu Irrigation Area, etc. The water supply scope includes 14 townships (fields) in 4 counties including Anfu County, Taihe County, Jishui County, Wan'an County, etc.

As a pilot area for agricultural water rights reform in China, Ji'an City will further explore innovative models such as agricultural water rights trading and smart water-saving management through the Jinggang Irrigation District Project, allowing the "dormant" agricultural water rights to flow and providing practical samples for solving the "water rights contradiction" in the southern water rich areas.

With the advancement of engineering construction, this red land will bid farewell to the history of "watching the sky to eat" and usher in a new era of "drought and flood to ensure harvest". The investment of 13.4 billion yuan has poured steel and cement, irrigated thousands of acres of fertile land, and lifted the confidence for the future development of Ji'an and even the entire Jiangxi province.Editor/Yang Meiling