China News Service, Yinchuan, September 13 (Reporter Yu Jing) With the smooth shutdown of the last unit of the Yanhuan Ding water pumping system, on September 13, the 2026 summer and autumn irrigation work in the Ningxia Yellow River Diversion Irrigation District came to a successful conclusion. Since the Tangzheng Gate opened for water supply on March 24, the irrigation area has had a total of 174 days of safe water supply, diverting 4.02 billion cubic meters of Yellow River water, fully ensuring the irrigation of nearly 10 million acres of farmland, and building a water security barrier for Ningxia's stable summer and autumn grain production and income, and the high-quality development of the "six special" industries.
Since the beginning of this year, the Ningxia Water Resources Department has strictly implemented the principle of "four waters and four determinations", carefully decomposed the water use indicators allocated by the state, and clarified the water volume to 5 cities, 22 counties (cities, districts) and the Ningdong base, and gradually compacted it to more than 4,300 direct openings to strictly control the total water consumption. In the face of unfavorable weather such as dust in spring and high temperatures in summer, the main canals and water pumping projects coordinated and scientifically dispatched. While completing agricultural irrigation tasks, 430 million cubic meters of water were supplied to human drinking pits, reservoirs and facility agricultural reservoirs, laying a solid foundation for ensuring drinking water for humans and animals. Precise water allocation is focused on the water needs of specialty industries such as wolfberry and wine to help improve the quality and efficiency of the industry; through early irrigation and staggered peak water diversion, 125 million cubic meters of water are replenished to the ecological health of lakes and wetlands such as the Diannong River and Shahu Lake, and the ecological health of more than 200,000 acres of wetlands is protected.
In water supply dispatching, each water supply unit adheres to differentiated water distribution by irrigation area, canal system, and time period, focusing on the ends of canal systems and high-mouth highlands to open up the "last mile" of water supply; it implements models such as upstream and downstream peak-shifting irrigation, joint regulation of reservoirs and canals, and rotational irrigation of irrigation areas. It relies on smart water conservancy information platforms to monitor water levels and flows in real time to maximize the benefits of each area of the Yellow River water. During the irrigation period, the water conservancy department insisted on focusing on both irrigation and flood prevention, strictly implemented the 24-hour duty system, promptly and reliably handled emergencies in various channels, and ensured the safe and smooth operation of canal system projects.
As a cross-regional water supply project, the Yanhuan Ding water pumping system diverted a total of 150 million cubic meters of water and supplied 140 million cubic meters of water during this summer and autumn irrigation period, covering 3 provinces, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia, 4 cities, and 9 counties (districts), protecting the water safety of 1.4 million people, 4.9 million livestock, more than 200 industrial and mining enterprises, and 450,000 acres of farmland. The management department has completed phased water supply tasks with high quality by optimizing dispatch plans, deepening inter-provincial coordination, and focusing on prioritizing people's livelihood.
At present, the Ningxia Yellow River Diversion Irrigation District has fully shifted to channel dredging and maintenance, and maintenance of mechanical and electrical facilities. The preparation of winter irrigation water supply plans has been started simultaneously, making preparations for the orderly development of autumn and winter irrigation and the smooth opening of spring irrigation next year.
