By the end of March, the total water storage of various water conservancy projects across the province had reached 9.214 billion cubic meters, an increase of 803 million cubic meters compared to the same period last year and 832 million cubic meters compared to the multi-year average. The total water storage has reached the best level in nearly four years, and is generally sufficient to meet the water demands for daily life and irrigation in spring.

"Spring came early this year, and the tobacco seedlings need a good soaking for their root establishment—this is no time to cut corners." On March 28, in Jingui Village, Nanquan Town, Shifang City, Deyang, villager Zhang Lifen was busy weeding and pruning the tobacco seedlings she had transplanted earlier. Watching the spring irrigation water gushing through the canal, she felt a great sense of relief.

As temperatures rise, spring farming preparation is progressing steadily across the province, and large and medium-sized irrigation areas are also starting spring irrigation gradually. April will mark the peak period for concentrated spring irrigation water supply. How is the water storage situation in major water conservancy projects at present? And how will spring irrigation water be ensured this year? Recently, the reporter visited several large and medium-sized irrigation areas across the province to find out.

Abundant Reservoirs, Ample Water: Overall Supply Sufficient to Meet Irrigation Demand

Early in the morning of March 28, Cai Peilin, a large-scale grain grower in Jiefang Village, Baishui Town, Wangcang County, Guangyuan City, was busy checking the growth of his wheat seedlings. "To make the wheat grow strong, the key is this round of spring irrigation with fertilizer," he said.

Spring irrigation is the "first drink" for the land after winter, and a crucial step in ensuring a bumper harvest for the spring-planted crops. "Currently, the county's 87 reservoirs and 1,781 mountain ponds have stored a total of over 14 million cubic meters of water, ensuring a reliable water supply for spring irrigation," said a relevant leading official from the Wangcang County Bureau of Water Resources.

Shifting focus to southern Sichuan. Located in a water-scarce area, the Changhu Irrigation Area serves farmland in Weiyuan County, Neijiang City, and Da'an District, Zigong City. "In response to the severe situation of consecutive years of drought and low rainfall in the irrigation area, coupled with insufficient reservoir storage, we carried out 14 artificial precipitation enhancement operations during last year's flood season, successfully completing the annual water storage target," said a relevant leading official from the Sichuan Changhu Irrigation Area Operation and Management Center. As of the end of March, the total water storage in the area's main water sources—Changshaba and Hulukou reservoirs—reached 64.24 million cubic meters, an increase of 228 percent compared to the same period last year and 151 percent compared to the average for the same period in the previous three years, laying a foundation for spring irrigation water supply, the official added.

So, what is the overall water storage situation across the province? It is understood that current water storage in the province's water conservancy projects is generally better than the multi-year average for the same period. Data provided by the Provincial Rural Water Resources Center shows that as of the end of March, the total water storage of various water conservancy projects across the province reached 9.214 billion cubic meters, an increase of 803 million cubic meters compared to the same period last year and 832 million cubic meters compared to the multi-year average. The total water storage has reached the best level in nearly four years. "Overall, the water supply is sufficient to meet the demand for domestic and irrigation use during the spring season," said a relevant leading official from the Provincial Rural Water Resources Center.

It is worth noting that the water storage situation this year in the four southern Sichuan cities—Zigong, Neijiang, Yibin, and Luzhou—which have long faced engineering-induced water shortages, has also been generally favorable. Compared with the same period in previous years, their water storage has increased by 100 million, 55 million, 43 million, and 34 million cubic meters, respectively.

It is understood that this year, the province plans to plant 27.93 million mu of rice (approximately 1,862,000 hectares), an increase of 140,000 mu (approximately 9,333.33 hectares) compared to last year, of which water conservancy projects are expected to support the planting of 21.70 million mu (approximately 1,446,666.67 hectares). "The capacity of water conservancy projects to store, divert, pump, and regulate water is a crucial foundation for ensuring the full-scale planting of spring-planted crops," said a relevant leading official from the Department of Water Resources. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, 24 large and medium-sized projects, including the Huangshipan Reservoir in Bazhong, were completed and put into operation, adding 2.1 billion cubic meters of new water storage, diversion, and pumping capacity, and increasing or improving irrigation coverage by 5.07 million mu (approximately 338,000 hectares).

Unblocked Canals, Flowing Water: Ensuring Spring Irrigation Water Reaches Every Field

On March 25, the Wuyin Irrigation Area, the second largest irrigation district in the province, began supplying water for spring irrigation. "Due to newly added and improved irrigated areas, water consumption in the irrigation area is expected to increase by 30 percent this year compared to last year, making the situation quite challenging," said a relevant leading official from the Sichuan Wudu Water Diversion Project Operation and Management Center. The official added that fully tapping into the regulation and storage capacity and water-supply potential of existing water conservancy facilities such as reservoirs will be crucial.

The water storage capacity of Wudu Reservoir reached 390 million cubic meters, an increase of about 60 million cubic meters compared to the same period last year. On the same day, Xiao Hangsong, a staff member in charge of operation and dispatch at the Wudu Hub Management Station, told the reporter: "Last year's flood season saw abundant rainfall. By reasonably controlling the operating water level and flexibly dispatching water in accordance with the supply plan, we were able to maximize water storage while ensuring flood control and hydropower generation safety. As a result, we completed the annual water storage target 20 days ahead of schedule." It is understood that the three main reservoirs in the Wudu Water Diversion Project Irrigation Area—Wudu, Chenkang, and Jinfeng—have all reached record high water levels before the start of spring irrigation, providing a solid water source guarantee for the upcoming peak period of spring irrigation water use.

Sufficient water storage is the first step in ensuring water supply for spring irrigation. To ensure that spring irrigation water reaches every field smoothly and precisely, a well-functioning and unimpeded canal network is essential. Currently, various regions across Sichuan are simultaneously advancing the dredging and cleaning of irrigation canals and the inspection and maintenance of water conservancy facilities, making every effort to unblock the "last kilometer" of farmland irrigation.

At Xiangyang Village, Jiyi Town, Jingyan County, Leshan City, workers are busy carrying out dredging and clearing operations in the irrigation canals in an orderly manner. "We have organized construction teams to carry out repairs at flood-damaged sections and to clear blockages and dredge silt along the canals within the irrigation area, ensuring smooth spring farming operations this year," said a relevant leading official from the Dafo Reservoir Management Office in Jingyan County. The work is expected to be completed by mid-April, the official added.

At the same time, efforts are also being intensively made to ensure the smooth functioning of the "micro-circulation" of water in the fields. Recently, taking advantage of the first round of spring irrigation water supply in the Heilongtan Irrigation Area, Gou Weichuan, General Manager of Renshou Mai Daofang Agriculture Co., Ltd., filled all 15 storage ponds on the company's land. "Although we are currently focusing on wheat field management, which doesn't require much water, we need to prepare sufficient water in advance to meet the peak demand for rice transplanting in May," Gou said.

"In addition to strengthening water storage, we also support and encourage various regions to find additional water sources through methods such as diversion, pumping, transfer, and impoundment, effectively increasing the reserve of available water resources," said a relevant leading official from the Department of Water Resources.

Water Conservation and Efficiency Enhancement: Multi-Pronged Approach to Ensure Efficient Water Use

"According to meteorological forecasts, the overall precipitation outlook is relatively favorable in the irrigation areas and the upstream catchment of the Minjiang River during this year's spring irrigation period. However, due to maintenance work at reservoirs and power stations upstream of the Minjiang River, the inflow at the Yuzui section of the Dujiangyan Irrigation System has been lower than the average for the same period since March, posing a challenge for spring irrigation," said a relevant leading official from the Sichuan Dujiangyan Water Conservancy Development Center. As a result, water conservation and efficiency enhancement have become critical.

Zhongjiang County in Deyang City, located in the Dujiangyan Irrigation Area, has already made preparations in advance. "In the past, the traditional method of flooding irrigation was time-consuming, labor-intensive, and water-wasting. It often left farmers at the tail-end of the canals struggling to access water," said a relevant leading official from the Zhongjiang County Bureau of Water Resources. In recent years, Zhongjiang County has been continuously exploring a market-based mechanism for the allocation of agricultural water use rights, encouraging water savers to receive economic returns. To date, the county has completed 48 water use rights transactions and has closely integrated water rights reform with the modernization of irrigation areas, creating a dual-driven approach combining "engineering water conservation and management-based water conservation".

Prioritizing water conservation and strengthening field water management has become a common consensus across the province.

In Wangcang County, Guangyuan City, the local government has vigorously promoted water-saving technologies such as sprinkler and drip irrigation, advocated for the planting of water-efficient crops, and worked to upgrade earthen canals—all of which have resulted in notable water conservation achievements. Meishan City has adopted an innovative "pipeline + intensive" water conveyance model, using pumping stations and pipelines to transport water to hilly, water-scarce areas. As a result, water conveyance efficiency has increased from 50 percent in earthen canals to over 95 percent.

Technology is also playing a key role in improving agricultural water efficiency. At the Sichuan Dujiangyan Irrigation Area Command Center, duty staff opened the digital twin system of the Dujiangyan headworks to check the latest water supply progress. "This system makes the timing of water supply scheduling during spring irrigation more precise and monitoring more timely, shifting water resource utilization from experience-based scheduling to precision-based calculation," said a relevant leading official from the Sichuan Dujiangyan Water Conservancy Development Center. Through intelligent models for water demand forecasting, inflow prediction, and precise allocation, the irrigation area saves over 100 million cubic meters of water annually.

A relevant leading official from the Department of Water Resources said that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the province has built a total of 28.76 million mu of water-saving irrigation projects (approximately 1,917,333.33 hectares) and established eight national-level water-saving irrigation areas. "Currently, the effective utilization rate of agricultural irrigation water in the province has significantly improved," the official added.