Hetao Irrigation District

Hetao Irrigation District

The Hetao Irrigation District is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Hetao Irrigation District is a large-scale irrigation area in the middle reaches of the Yellow River and the largest designed irrigation district in China. It is located in Bayannur City in the western part of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

To the north, it lies on the alluvial fans at the southern foot of the Lang and Wula Mountains of the Yinshan Mountain Range; to the south, it borders the Yellow River; to the east, it extends to the outskirts of Baotou City; and to the west, it connects with the Ulan Buh Desert. In 1949, there were 10 main canals diverting water from the Yellow River, with an irrigation area of approximately 194,300 hectares. After 1961, water was diverted from the SanShengGong hub on the Yellow River, dividing the district into three irrigation areas: Baortuolegai, Houtao, and Sanhuhe. Crops grown here include wheat, coarse grains, and sunflowers. The irrigated land covers 11,600 square kilometers, with a designed irrigation area of 737,000 hectares. In 1987, the actual irrigated area was 483,700 hectares. The Hetao Irrigation District is situated on the alluvial plain on the northern bank of the upper and middle reaches of the Yellow River in Inner Mongolia, with a controlled irrigation area of 17.43 million mu. It is the largest single-regulator irrigation district in Asia, one of the three mega-sized irrigation districts in China, and also an important national and regional production base for commercial grain and oil.

In 1988, the supporting engineering plan for the Hetao Irrigation District was initiated, covering a supporting area of 211,100 hectares. It includes 991 kilometers of irrigation canals and 791 kilometers of drainage channels.

Located in the arid northwest plateau of China, the Hetao Irrigation District receives little rainfall and has high evaporation rates, making it an area where agriculture would be impossible without irrigation. The district diverts approximately 5 billion cubic meters of Yellow River water annually, accounting for one-seventh of the river’s total flow through the region.

The history of canal excavation in the Hetao Irrigation District dates back to the Qin and Han dynasties. During the Tang Dynasty’s Zhenguan era, large canals were constructed in the Hetao region, some of which could irrigate over 600 hectares. After the mid-Qing Dynasty, canal digging and farming flourished, and by the end of the Qing Dynasty, eight major main canals had been built. During the Republic of China era, the irrigation area was extended eastward to the Sanhuhe region in front of the Wula Mountains. Due to a lack of comprehensive planning in past constructions, the canal systems were disorganized—water did not reach canals in dry years, while floods caused disasters during the rainy season. Since the 1950s, the SanShengGong water conservancy hub has been built, the irrigation and drainage systems have been improved, and the Yellow River flood control levees have been constructed. At the same time, farmland infrastructure projects were carried out, shelterbelts were planted, the irrigation area was expanded, and oases emerged within the grassland-desert landscape.

On September 4, 2019, the Hetao Irrigation District in Inner Mongolia was inscribed on the World Heritage Irrigation Structures list.

Further Reading:

· World Heritage Irrigation Structures