In early spring in March, the fields along the banks of the Lishui River in northern Hunan have turned new green. On March 30, 2026, in Lixian County, Changde City, a "revitalization" project that concerns the "thirst quenching" of hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile land and regional water safety began with the roaring sound of machinery. This is not only the start of a water conservancy project, but also a new beginning to inject intelligence and resilience into the local agricultural lifeline.

400000 acres of fertile land now have an intelligent butler

The Liyang Plain Irrigation Area is located in the middle and lower reaches of the Lishui River plain, nurturing vast farmland in twelve towns and villages in Lixian, Linli, and Shimen counties. The designed irrigation area reaches 404900 acres, and it is a large-scale irrigation area that integrates agricultural irrigation, flood control and drainage, power generation, and other functions. However, problems such as aging and severe leakage in some channels once hindered the efficient utilization of water resources.

The ongoing construction and modernization project is aimed at addressing these pain points. The core construction content of the project includes anti-seepage lining of 76 kilometers of main and branch channels, renovation of 30 kilometers of drainage ditches, and renovation of 483 canal system buildings. It is particularly crucial that the informatization construction of irrigation areas will be promoted synchronously. In the future, a modern irrigation area with "intelligent irrigation+long-term management" as its core will be built here, as if installing a "smart brain" on the huge water network system to achieve more accurate and water-saving scheduling and management.

Efficiency improvement helps stabilize grain production and increase income

Water conservancy is the lifeline of agriculture, and the conservation and efficient utilization of every drop of water is of great significance. The benefits brought by the project are considerable. The data shows that after the completion of the project, it is expected to restore and improve the irrigation area of 349900 acres. The more important indicator is the effective utilization coefficient of irrigation water, which will be increased from the current 0.542 to 0.58. This means that water loss will be significantly reduced in all aspects of water transportation, distribution, and use, allowing more valuable water resources to reach the roots of crops.

This' water account 'is directly linked to the' grain account '. After the implementation of the project, it is expected to increase the annual grain production capacity by up to 52 million kilograms and save more than 10 million cubic meters of water annually. Against the backdrop of ensuring national food security, upgrading existing irrigation areas and tapping into the potential for water conservation and increased production are becoming important measures to solidify the foundation of grain production. This not only solidifies the foundation of the "Xiangbei Grain Warehouse", but also provides a solid "water conservancy answer" to cope with water resource constraints and ensure stable and increased grain production.

Starting the year, we will work hard to build a strong regional water safety barrier

The Liyang Plain Irrigation Area Renovation Project is one of the key water conservancy projects promoted in the national "dual" construction (major strategic deployment and key areas), and also the first key water conservancy project to start construction in Hunan Province in 2026. It has obvious demonstration and leading significance.

Its construction marks a crucial step forward for the local area in comprehensively improving the quality of water infrastructure network and enhancing the ability to coordinate and allocate water resources. After the completion of the project, the comprehensive guarantee capacity of the irrigation area will be systematically improved. It will not only better serve agricultural production, but also play a greater role in flood control and drainage, improving the regional water ecological environment, and providing strong support for building a water safety barrier in the Dongting Lake area and even wider areas. In the spring of the Year of the Horse in Bingwu, the commencement of this project sounded the horn of modern water conservancy construction to safeguard high-quality development and new year's cultivation.Editor/Yang Meiling