Guangming Daily, Beijing, March 16 (Reporter Chen Chen) All parts of the country have recently entered the critical period of spring irrigation preparation. The reporter learned from the Ministry of Water Resources on the 16th that as of March 15, 16 provinces across the country had started spring irrigation, with a total water supply of 4.9 billion cubic meters and an irrigated area of 57 million acres. Among them, 1,040 large and medium-sized irrigation areas have started irrigation, with a total water supply of 3.9 billion cubic meters and an irrigated area of 29 million acres.
At present, the total water storage capacity of key reservoirs across the country is 497.3 billion cubic meters, nearly 10% more than the same period in normal years. The water inflow from rivers is basically the same as the same period in normal years. Spring agricultural irrigation water is generally guaranteed. At present, the overall moisture situation across the country is good, the start time of spring irrigation in various places is generally later than last year, and the average irrigation amount per mu has decreased.
The Ministry of Water Resources has issued a notice to comprehensively deploy and guide detailed measures in various localities, coordinate water storage and conservation, water source dispatching, facility maintenance, water management, scientific irrigation and other tasks to effectively maintain the order of water supply; keep a close eye on potential risks, strengthen analysis and judgment, comprehensively study and judge crop structure, soil moisture, water demand, water resources allocation and water inflow forecast, etc., coordinate emergency response plans for drought relief, and consolidate the basis for ensuring water supply for agricultural production.
According to reports, since the beginning of February, spring irrigation work has been progressing in an orderly manner in various places. Winter wheat areas such as Hebei, Shanxi, and Shaanxi have successively opened gates to divert water and start spring irrigation operations to help winter wheat return to green and grow. The Yellow River Water Conservancy Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources will increase the discharge volume of the Xiaolangdi Reservoir to 1,350 cubic meters per second starting from March 1. The Yellow River irrigation areas in Shandong and Henan will store water in advance to prepare for the upcoming spring irrigation water peak. The southern rice region is accelerating farmland water conservancy maintenance in winter and spring, dredging and clearing obstacles, and repairing water damage projects to provide favorable conditions for ensuring the safe and smooth flow of spring irrigation water.
"Guangming Daily" (page 10, March 17, 2026)
