Currently, the drought situation in some regions of China continues unabated. Strengthening water allocation and ensuring the water supply for urban and rural residents as well as agricultural irrigation have become urgent priorities. Reporters learned from Gansu, Jiangsu, Shanxi, Hubei, and other provinces that local areas affected by the drought are taking a multi-pronged approach and actively mobilizing to tackle the drought head-on.

According to statistics from the Gansu Provincial Department of Water Resources, as of May... 20 Day, Qingyang, Dingxi, Pingliang, and other areas in Gansu Province 9 a city or prefecture 39 Drought conditions have occurred in several counties and districts. To ensure a stable water supply, the water resources department of Gansu Province conducts monthly assessments of provincial precipitation levels, inflow to major rivers, and runoff volumes. 53 Conduct statistical analysis on the storage levels of large and medium-sized reservoirs, and, in conjunction with weather forecasts, predict next month’s inflow to river channels and reservoir storage levels.

Reporters learned from the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Jiangsu Provincial Climate Center that, since the autumn sowing season of 2024, many areas in Jiangsu have experienced persistently below-average rainfall. The province's average precipitation so far has been about 60% lower than the long-term average for the same period, leading to prolonged drought conditions spanning winter, spring, and summer in several regions. To effectively address the drought situation, the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Water Resources has been working diligently on water diversion, storage, and conservation efforts. Relying on water supplies from the Yangtze River, pumping stations along the river are operating at full capacity to divert water; since the beginning of this year, the total amount of water diverted from the Yangtze River has already reached a significant level. 131 hundred million cubic meters, representing the volume of water diverted from the Yangtze River for the same period over the past five years. 2 The three major water diversion systems—“Northward Diversion of Yangtze River Water,” “Eastward Guidance of Yangtze River Water,” and “Yangtze-to-Taihu Water Diversion”—continue to divert water to combat drought.

In addition to strengthening water allocation and scheduling, some regions are also adopting measures such as spraying drought-resistant agents and promoting smart irrigation to “quench the thirst” of farmland.

The Agricultural and Rural Affairs Bureau of Zezhou County, Jincheng City, Shanxi Province, has issued a technical guidance plan requiring that, for areas lacking irrigation conditions, socialized service teams be organized to carry out aerial spraying of foliar fertilizers and drought-resistant agents using drones, thereby making every effort to mitigate the adverse effects of drought on wheat growth.

May 20 On that day, reporters saw two drones hovering above the wheat fields in Nanshe Village, Dayang Town, Zezhou County, evenly spraying foliar fertilizers, growth regulators, and drought-resistant agents onto the wheat leaves.

“Foliar fertilizers can quickly replenish the nutrients wheat needs for growth, enhancing its stress resistance and photosynthetic efficiency,” said Shang Lixia, the person in charge of drone-based pest control. “So far, these emergency measures have shown some positive effects in promoting grain filling and increasing the 1,000-grain weight of winter wheat.”

Sensors distributed across the fields automatically monitor soil moisture, and intelligent irrigation pump stations deliver water directly to the fields... In some areas of Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, smart irrigation systems are being promoted, shifting away from the traditional “flood irrigation” method toward “precision drip irrigation,” ensuring every drop of water is used efficiently and carefully. The Xuzhou Power Supply Company of State Grid has dispatched staff to carry out live-line operations and address line defects, guaranteeing the smooth operation of water pumps and providing reliable support for agricultural production.

At the Hubei Zhanghe Engineering Administration, located in Jingmen City, Hubei Province, when you open the digital twin Zhanghe platform, the real-time water level of the Zhanghe Reservoir and data from over 1,000 rainfall monitoring stations in the irrigation area become clearly visible on the large screen.

Hu Xiaomei, a staff member of the bureau, introduced that since this year’s severe drought began, thanks to the digital twin platform for the Zhang River, they have been able to scientifically forecast inflow and water demand, precisely regulate flow rates, and efficiently allocate water resources. To date, 30.68 million cubic meters of water have been supplied for irrigation, ensuring the water supply for the irrigation district. 65 The irrigation needs of ten thousand mu of farmland.

Where there is drought, there may also be flooding. In response to the issue of rapid shifts between drought and flood, experts recommend proactively deploying measures to guard against situations such as high temperatures and drought during the summer grain harvest period, coupled with multiple rounds of heavy rainfall that could lead to concurrent drought and flood conditions and sudden transitions between the two. It’s also crucial to step up public awareness campaigns to enhance farmers’ disaster-prevention consciousness and self-help capabilities, and to strengthen research into integrated drought- and flood-resistant agricultural production technologies.

(Source: Xinhua News Agency)