Ganning Plain Irrigation District Water Conservancy Scenic Area

Ganning Plain Irrigation District Water Conservancy Scenic Area

The Ganning Plain Irrigation District Water Conservancy Scenic Area is a national water conservancy scenic area.

The average annual precipitation in the Ganning Plain Irrigation District is 1747 mm, and the average annual evaporation is 1139 mm. The irrigation district spans 42 towns across 6 counties (cities, districts) in 3 prefecture-level cities: Fuzhou, Yichun, and Nanchang. The designed irrigation area of the project is 80,000 hectares (1.2 million mu), with an effective irrigation area of nearly 67,000 hectares (1 million mu). The main crops grown in the irrigation district are rice, making it one of the key grain-producing areas in Jiangxi Province.

Construction History

The Ganning Plain Water Conservancy Project commenced construction in May 1958 and was initially completed in 1960, beginning to deliver benefits soon after. Through subsequent annual expansions, upgrades, and renovations, the project now includes 15 major structures such as the Jiaoshi River Barrage, Jianjiang Flood Diversion Gate, Gangqian Large Aqueduct, and Tianwang Ferry Lock, over 290 medium and large structures, and more than 3,600 small structures. It also features the excavation of 7 main canals (eastern and western trunk canals) totaling 240 km in length, 543 branch canals and above totaling 1,674 km, and 7 drainage channels along with the containment of 24 river branches, lakes, and creeks.

Irrigation District Benefits

Since its establishment, the irrigation district has provided crucial support and flood control protection for the social and economic development and people's livelihoods of the irrigation area and Nanchang City. The multiple cropping index of farmland in the district increased from 1.41 to 2.84; grain yield per mu rose from 150 kg to over 750 kg; 46,700 hectares of waterlogged land were drained, and 17,300 hectares of lake beach and shoal land were reclaimed; the flood control dike line was shortened by 485 km, significantly improving flood prevention standards; the waterway distance between Fuzhou and Nanchang was reduced by over 100 km; the district supplies nearly 50 million tons of production and domestic water to urban areas annually; and generates over 25 million kW·h of electricity per year.

Management System

In accordance with the principles of unified water rights, hierarchical management, and a combination of specialized and community-based management, the irrigation district has established and improved three management systems: democratic management, professional management, and community management. The decision-making bodies of the irrigation district are the provincial and county (city, district) irrigation district management committees. The specialized management structure is divided into three levels: the provincial management bureau, county management bureaus (stations), and township water management stations. The district’s revenue mainly comes from agricultural water fees, supplemented by industrial water fees and diversified operation water fees.