On March 20, 2026, a significant chapter in the history of water conservancy in Sichuan was left behind.

A water conservancy project with a total investment of 57.51883 billion yuan, known as "No. 2 Dujiangyan Irrigation Project", was officially launched for construction preparation and supervision bidding.

The announcement is expected to be released on April 20, 2026, marking the substantive construction phase of this national water network backbone project.

This is not only the beginning of an engineering project, but also a strategic layout that concerns the future water safety of millions of people in the Chengdu Plain. For a long time, the Chengdu Plain Economic Zone, as the core of the fourth pole of China's economy, has been highly dependent on the single water source of Dujiangyan Irrigation Project.

With the rapid expansion of urban agglomerations and frequent extreme weather events, the vulnerability of this dependence is becoming increasingly prominent. The launch of the Da Ji Min Project is aimed at fundamentally solving this dilemma.

The project is expected to be completed and connected to water by 2033. At that time, together with Dujiangyan Irrigation Project, it will form a modern water network of "two water sources and two channels", providing a solid and reliable water security guarantee for regional development.

260 kilometers of water transmission line and 151 kilometers of tunnel

The grandeur of this project can be seen from a string of numbers. The project takes water from the reservoir area of Luding Hydropower Station on the main stream of Dadu River, with a designed annual water intake of 1.523 billion cubic meters, which is equivalent to introducing a large "mobile reservoir" into the Chengdu Plain.

The total length of the water transmission line is 260.9 kilometers, consisting of a precise water network consisting of the main line, south main line, and north main line.

The most amazing thing is that this' water artery 'needs to cross the transition zone between the Qinghai Tibet Plateau and the Sichuan Basin, with extremely complex geological conditions. Among them, the total length of the tunnel reaches 151 kilometers, accounting for over 58%, and the engineering difficulty can be considered world-class.

Among them, the Erlangshan Tunnel is a key controlling node on the 133 kilometer main line. Its geology is complex and the construction difficulty is extremely high. The core of the "construction preparation project" for this bidding is the 1 # construction support tunnel, related waste disposal site, and material yard of Erlangshan Tunnel.

Constructing a branch tunnel in advance is like opening a window for a large mountain, which will open up operational channels and transport building materials for the comprehensive tackling of the subsequent main tunnel. It is the key factor that determines the progress of the entire project.

From the approval of the feasibility study report in October 2025, to the completion of the core survey and design before the end of the year, and now the start of the construction preparation project bidding, the Yinda Jimin Project is moving from blueprint to reality at an unprecedented speed.

Benefiting 34.13 million people

Behind the massive investment of 57.5 billion yuan is the heavy livelihood and strategic value. After the completion of the project, it will benefit 8 cities including Chengdu, Deyang, Mianyang, Suining, and 43 counties and districts, covering a population of up to 34.13 million.

Under the efficient allocation of water resources, the project will increase irrigation area by 1.79 million mu and improve irrigation area by 5.91 million mu. It can not only ensure the living and industrial water supply of urban and rural residents, but also greatly enhance the region's ability to resist extreme weather such as severe drought, and stabilize the "Tianfu granary".

Its profound impact lies in injecting strong "water power" into the high-quality development of the Chengdu Chongqing economic circle. Water is the lifeline and the cornerstone of development.

When the water of the Dadu River crosses the 260 kilometer barrier and flows into the thousands of households and factories in the Chengdu Plain, it nourishes not only the land, but also the development potential and safety bottom line of the Sichuan Chongqing region for the next few decades.

This super project, which is expected to take 96 months to complete, carries the millennium long expectations of the local soil and water, and is about to break ground. Eight years later, when clear water rushes in, a new page will be opened in the history of water conservancy in Sichuan.Editor/Yang Meiling