Tongji Weir in Sichuan, Duotian in Xinghua, Jiangsu, Songgu Irrigation District in Songyang, Zhejiang and Shangbao Terrace in Chongyi, Jiangxi were successfully selected into the World Heritage List of Irrigation Projects in 2022 (the ninth batch) on the 6th.
The reporter learned from the Ministry of Water Resources that including these four newly selected world irrigation engineering heritages, China’s world irrigation engineering heritages have reached 30.
The picture shows the intake gate of the main canal in Tongji Weir (photo courtesy of the Ministry of Water Resources)
Tongji Weir, located at the intersection of Nanhe River, Xihe River and Jinma River in Xinjin District, Chengdu, is the largest and longest-running active dam in Chinese history. At present, Tongji Weir Irrigation District is an important part of Dujiangyan Irrigation District, which mainly undertakes to provide domestic, production and ecological water to four counties in Chengdu and Meishan, with an irrigation area of 520,000 mu.
The picture shows Xinghua Duotian (photo courtesy of the Ministry of Water Resources)
Xinghua Duotian irrigation and drainage engineering system is distributed in Xinghua Hudang District, Jiangsu Province, and it is an irrigation and drainage engineering system in upland and dry land. Historically, the mound fields formed by piling up soil have developed into irrigation engineering systems with matching compound irrigation and drainage engineering systems such as dike, irrigation and drainage channels and sluice gates and unique irrigation methods. At present, it is still exerting the benefits of irrigation and drainage, flood control and drought relief, ecological agriculture and landscape tourism.
The picture shows Bailongyan in Songgu Irrigation District (photo courtesy of Ministry of Water Resources)
Songgu Irrigation District, located in Songyang County, Zhejiang Province, is a model of ancient irrigation projects in small and medium-sized watersheds. At the beginning, people built weirs and canals in Songyin River Basin according to the situation, and gradually built an irrigation network with the main tributaries of Songyin River as the water source, densely covered weirs and crisscrossed channels and canals. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the irrigation system was perfected, and it still moistens 166,000 mu of fertile land on both sides of Songyin River.
The picture shows Shangbao Terrace (photo courtesy of the Ministry of Water Resources)
Shangbao Terrace is located in the northwest mountainous area of Chongyi County, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, with an area of about 51,000 mu. It is a steep slope terrace with a vertical drop of nearly 1,000 meters. The Shangbao Terrace Irrigation Project, which matured in Song and Yuan Dynasties and perfected in Ming and Qing Dynasties, includes both a perfect irrigation system and a good ecological protection system.
At the same time, four world irrigation project heritages in China are listed in the ninth batch of world irrigation project heritages, and there are 15 from Australia, India, Iraq, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka and other countries. At present, there are 140 irrigation project heritages in the world, which are distributed in 18 countries.
“China’s world irrigation project heritage covers almost all types of irrigation projects, and it is the country with the richest type of irrigation project heritage, the widest distribution and the most prominent irrigation efficiency.” Chen Mingzhong, chairman of the National Irrigation and Drainage Committee of China and director of the Rural Water Conservancy and Hydropower Department of the Ministry of Water Resources, said that the irrigation project heritages that have continued up to now are classic examples of ecological water conservancy projects. Taking the opportunity of the declaration and sustainable protection and utilization of the world irrigation project heritages, it is of great practical significance to dig out and show the irrigation history and culture of China to the world, study and summarize its scientific and technological values and management experience, and promote rural revitalization, ecological civilization construction and sustainable development of water conservancy projects.
(Liu Shiping)