Grain harvests have been bumper year after year, but the total amount of irrigation water has not increased, and agricultural water conservation and efficiency have continued to advance——
Between the two countries, the water is used to the fullest
In September this year, General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over a symposium on comprehensively promoting the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin, emphasizing: "Implement water-saving actions and accelerate the construction of a water-saving society." ”
Statistics from the Ministry of Water Resources show that in the 10 years since 2014, the mainland's GDP has increased by nearly 1 times, the total water consumption has achieved zero growth, and the water consumption per 10,000 yuan of GDP has dropped by more than 40%.
Behind the results is a significant increase in water efficiency in a number of key areas. We will continue to promote water conservation and efficiency improvement in agriculture, water conservation and emission reduction in industry, and water conservation and loss reduction in urban areas...... A few days ago, reporters went to many places to interview water-saving practices.
-- The editor
Agriculture is a major water user, and the mainland's agricultural water consumption accounts for more than 60 percent of the total water consumption, which is where the potential for water conservation lies. According to statistics, since 2014, the mainland has achieved zero growth in the total amount of agricultural irrigation water used in the country under the condition of bumper grain harvests year after year. Many places have explored ways to save water and increase efficiency in agriculture, and accumulated useful experience.
Breeding water-saving varieties
Cultivating better crops and saving water
"The highest yield per mu reaches 1,500 catties!" The joy of the harvest lingered in Cao Dianyu's heart.
Cao Dianyu is a villager in Qianying Village, Hujiachi Town, Shenzhou City, Hengshui City, Hebei Province. The yield of wheat per mu is 1,500 catties, which is not common for Hengshui City, which is a key area for the comprehensive treatment of groundwater overexploitation in Hebei Province.
Where does high yields come from? "Thanks to last year's selection of the water-saving wheat variety 'Hengmai 28'. Less water is used, but the yield is higher. Cao Dianyu calculated that "Hengmai 28" saves an average of 50 cubic meters of water per mu than ordinary varieties, but can receive more than 100 catties of grain per mu on average.
"Hengmai 28" comes from the Institute of Dry Farming, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, located in Hengshui City.
"Breeding water-saving crops is an important way to strengthen the comprehensive management of underground over-mining areas and ensure food security." Qiao Wenchen, deputy director of the Institute of Dry Agriculture of the Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, said that over the years, the institute has been committed to the study of water-saving and drought-resistant wheat varieties, obtained more than 30 patents for breeding technology, and built a "Hengmai" breeding technology system.
This year, more than 100 acres of new varieties of drought-resistant and water-saving wheat have been harvested in the demonstration experimental field in Qianying Village. "Here are newly developed 'Hengmai 30', 'Hengmai 36' and other varieties." Cao Zhenmin, secretary of the village party branch, said that the new varieties of dry farming rain feed sufficient moisture sowing save more than 150 cubic meters of water per mu on average. What about the yield? "There are more than 1,000 catties per mu on average!" Cao Zhenmin said that today, the varieties of water-saving wheat are getting better and better, and everyone is becoming more and more confident in growing grain.
The "Water Conservation Regulations", which came into effect on May 1 this year, propose that the state support the research and promotion of new varieties of drought-tolerant crops. According to reports, the new varieties of Hengmai have a cumulative sowing area of more than 200 million mu in Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, Henan, Shaanxi, Tianjin, Anhui, Jiangsu and other provinces, with an average annual promotion area of more than 10 million mu.
Change the way you irrigate
Drip irrigation with dropper for more efficient use of water
In Xiao Licheng's 5 acres of vineyards, the droppers are evenly arranged next to the vines, and Xiao Licheng gently brushes the purchased water card on the smart water meter, and in less than a minute, the water fills the droppers and is sent to the field through the drip irrigation facility.
Xiao Licheng's home is located in Dabazi Village, Jizushan Town, Binchuan County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. In the past, the local area mostly used open channels to release water, which was unstable and wasteful, and about 500 cubic meters of water per acre of land a year.
What now? "Drip irrigation facilities are installed in every household, and the grape fields are provided with 'tap water', which guarantees water supply and reduces costs a lot." Xiao Licheng told reporters that after switching to drip irrigation, one acre of land uses 300 cubic meters of water a year, which is 40% less than that of open channel irrigation.
Binchuan County is located on the south bank of the dry and hot valley of the Jinsha River, with an average annual precipitation of only 469 mm, an average annual evaporation of 2,518 mm, and a per capita water resource of less than 1/5 of the province.
The "Regulations on Water Conservation" proposes to promote water-saving irrigation technologies such as sprinkler irrigation, micro-irrigation, pipeline water irrigation, canal seepage prevention and water irrigation, and rain collection and supplementary irrigation, so as to improve the efficiency of irrigation water use.
In order to solve the problem of water shortage, Binchuan County vigorously promotes high-efficiency water-saving irrigation projects represented by self-pressure drip irrigation to promote agricultural water conservation and efficiency.
Under the encouragement and guidance of the Binchuan County Government, water cooperatives, large land transfer households and leading agricultural enterprises have participated in the construction, operation and management of high-efficiency water-saving irrigation projects. The Binchuan County Runmin Irrigation Service Farmers Professional Cooperative, established in 2016, is one of them.
"The cooperatives are responsible for building infrastructure such as regulating ponds and water supply networks, which connect water pipelines to the fields, covering many mountainous and sloping areas that were previously unwatered. Farmers only need to buy drip irrigation facilities and connect them to water pipes to use agricultural 'tap water'. Han Shibiao, secretary of the party branch of the cooperative, said.
Binchuan County Runmin Irrigation Service Farmer Cooperative has implemented a total of 51,900 mu of high-efficiency water-saving irrigation and supplied 27 million cubic meters of water to the people in the demonstration area. The high-efficiency water-saving area at the bottom of the Xiaohe, where Xiao Licheng's home is located, is one of the first three high-efficiency water-saving irrigation projects built by the cooperative.
The water supply is stable and efficient, and the once barren hillsides also bear golden fruits. Villagers grow grapes, citrus, pomegranates and other efficient cash crops. Half of Chen Mei's 20 acres of land in Dabazi Village are mountainous, and after the high-efficiency water-saving irrigation project was opened, Chen Mei planted citrus in the mountains, increasing her income by nearly 20,000 yuan per mu.
Zhou Zhilong, director of the office of Binchuan Irrigation District Administration, said that today, Binchuan County has built a total of 358,000 mu of high-efficiency water-saving irrigation area, of which 200,000 mu belong to hillside land. The average irrigation water saving per mu of cash crops in the high-efficiency water-saving irrigation area is about 200 cubic meters, and the annual water saving is about 70 million cubic meters.
Improve pipe network facilities
Accurate metering, water use is more clear
Removing the baffle of the canal that was distributed to the ground, and estimating that it was about the same, Zhou Weilong looked at the time on his phone.
"It's coming!" Only the sound of rattling was heard getting closer and closer, and the Yellow River diverted from the upstream canal when it was level, spread to the yellow earth under Zhou Weilong's feet, and rushed forward.
"Look at the speed of this water, how fast!" In Dayudu Irrigation District, Ruicheng County, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province, Zhou Weilong, a villager of Zhouqing Village, planted 6 acres of land. Strands of water from the Yellow River flow into the fields through a dense network of canals through a six-stage water lifting project.
Zhou Weilong's land is in the irrigation area of the 17th bucket canal of the Nangan Station in the irrigation area. The day before, he had called the plumber of the Farmer Water Users' Association to report the time and demand for water. After the water manager buys water on behalf of the unified agent, the water is dispatched and released by the Dayu Water Project Service Center.
In the past, Zhou Weilong watered his own land, although the amount of water upstream was not small, but when he reached his own land, the amount of water often decreased greatly. The bucket canals in the village are all simple earthen canals, which are easy to run and leak.
Dong Zengwu, director of the Dayu Water Lifting Engineering Service Center, introduced that in recent years, the Dayu Irrigation District has been the first batch of the Ministry of Water Resources to deepen the comprehensive reform of agricultural water prices and promote the construction of modern irrigation areas.
Zhou Weilong and other people in the irrigation area have become direct beneficiaries. Last year, the earthen canal leading to Chow Wai Lung's field was lined with cement, water leakage was reduced, irrigation flow was increased, and precise metering facilities were used to achieve a stable and adequate water supply.
"The flow is large, the speed is fast, and the water and money are saved!" Zhou Weilong calculated an account for the reporter: in the past, the amount of water was small, the flow rate was slow, the water could not flow in the ground, and it took 6 hours to water 6 acres of land, with an average water fee of 27 yuan per mu; Now it can be watered in 4 hours, reducing waste, reducing the total water consumption by 70 cubic meters, and the average water fee per mu is only 24 yuan.
"In the next step, Dayudu Irrigation District will also explore the over-quota progressive price increase system, which will be used to guide the masses to save water by means of awards and subsidies, and the award and subsidy funds will be better used for the maintenance and maintenance of bucket canals, water pipelines and buildings." Dong Zengwu said.
Source: People's Daily
Authors: Shao Yuzi, Ye Chuanzeng, Zheng Yangyang