Comprehensive measures have been taken to reduce the overexploitation of agricultural groundwater, and the groundwater level of all 67 deep-level overexploitation counties (cities, districts) in Hebei, China has risen!
[Summary] Since the 1980s, the groundwater level has dropped due to overexploitation of groundwater in North China. This not only increases the cost of agricultural production, but also may cause ecological and environmental problems such as land subsidence, cracks, and seawater inversion.
In recent years, Hebei Province has promoted comprehensive management of groundwater overexploitation. On the basis of ensuring food production, it has focused on water use, watering, and water extraction, highlighted the application of science and technology, enriched water-saving measures, and reduced groundwater exploitation.
Use less water- Adjust planting structure and promote drought-resistant varieties
In recent years, Hebei Province has explored dry farming and rain farming according to local conditions. In some areas, crops such as irrigated vegetables and potatoes have been changed to dry and rain-fed crops such as flax, oats, and pasture. In Cangzhou, Hengshui and other places in the deep groundwater over-exploitation areas, the local crops such as irrigated wheat and corn have been changed to rape, millet, peanut and other crops.
At the same time, Hebei Province is exploring the seasonal fallow system. In Cangzhou, Hengshui, Xingtai, Handan, etc., the planting of wheat and corn in two seasons a year is changed to only one season of millet, sorghum, peanuts and other crops, reducing irrigation water, and the scale of fallow exceeds 2 million mu. According to statistics, seasonal fallow farming reduces groundwater exploitation by about 150 cubic meters per mu of land each year.
In 2021, 800 mu of wheat from Jinkefu Wheat Planting Professional Cooperative in Wangzhuang Village, Fourth Tuan Town, Quzhou County, Handan City will usher in a bumper harvest. According to the person in charge of the cooperative, since the water-saving wheat was planted, it only needs to be watered twice a year, saving labor, money and water, and the output has not decreased. "By planting drought-resistant and water-saving varieties of wheat, and supporting comprehensive water-saving and moisture-saving technologies such as deep soil loosening and straw returning to the field, it is possible to reduce watering twice during the wheat growth period." said Li Jinkong, deputy director of the Quzhou County Agriculture and Rural Bureau.
Over the years, Hebei Province has organized wheat breeding experts to cultivate more than 50 drought-resistant and water-saving varieties, and provided them to households for free, organized agricultural technicians to go deep into the fields, instruct farmers to plant water-saving wheat varieties, and implement straw returning and fine land preparation. , precision seeding and other comprehensive supporting water-saving planting technology.
Since 2014, Hebei Province has promoted more than 34 million mu of drought-resistant and water-saving varieties of wheat, and the frequency of watering wheat fields has gradually decreased from 3-4 times before 2014 to 2-3 times now.
Irrigate less- Promote water-saving irrigation and improve water use efficiency
A few days ago, in the greenhouse in Houdagongzhuang Village, Qianying Town, Fengnan District, Tangshan City, villager Zhao Chengjiang was preparing to water the newly planted tomato seedlings. After he pressed the start button, the drip irrigation system all over the greenhouse began to irrigate automatically, and the water was sent to the roots of the vegetable seedlings by the drip pipe.
It is understood that there are more than 300 greenhouses in Houdagongzhuang Village, all of which are currently using drip irrigation. "The water saving rate of drip irrigation is more than 60%. For vegetable farmers with large water consumption, it can effectively reduce irrigation costs and save water." Wang Lianyou, head of the Qianying Town Agricultural Comprehensive Service Center, said.
An intelligent drip irrigation control system has also been introduced into the Qianmu Baby Vegetable Base in Qilijian Village, Liushouying Town, Funing District, Qinhuangdao City. "In previous years, the traditional irrigation method consumed a lot of manpower and water resources; after adopting smart drip irrigation, the water volume of each seedling can be precisely controlled by using a mobile phone anytime, anywhere, so that every drop of water can play the greatest role." The base is responsible for People Jinliang said.
In recent years, Hebei Province has focused on the promotion of high-efficiency water-saving irrigation technology and equipment such as sprinkler irrigation, smart drip irrigation, and integrated water and fertilizer drip irrigation. .
In 2021, Hebei Province will promote technologies such as drip irrigation and shallow burial drip irrigation under plastic film, and the water-saving planting area will reach 7.3 million mu, with an average water saving of about 60 cubic meters per mu. In addition, Hebei Province has laid anti-seepage pipelines for field crops in the 33-million-mu well-irrigated area to promote pipe irrigation, reduce field water leakage, save agricultural water, and improve water efficiency.
Extract less underground water - Improve water conservancy projects and replace groundwater with surface water
A few years ago, due to the continuous decline of the groundwater level in Dongwuji Village, Feixiang District, Handan City, the wells were drilled deeper and deeper, making it very difficult to irrigate the wheat fields.
In this regard, Feixiang District implemented the project of "Diverting the Yellow River into the Canal", allowing the wheat fields to "drink" the Yellow River water, which not only solved the problem of difficult irrigation, but also protected the groundwater. "In the past, a large well (pumping groundwater) irrigated 80 yuan per mu of land, but now it costs 40 yuan to irrigate one mu of land with water from the Yellow River." A villager said happily.
In recent years, the central and southern Hebei region, which is located in the center of the "Funnel District" in North China, focuses on making good use of the water of the Yellow River, the Laosha River, and the Fuyang River. Through measures such as rebuilding irrigation areas, building ditches, and controlling small and medium-sized rivers and pits, the surface of Water irrigation replaces groundwater extraction.
The long Laosha River runs through 5 towns in Qiuxian County, Handan City from southwest to northeast. Historically, due to excessive cultivation and deforestation, the two banks of the Laosha River were dilapidated. Since 2020, Qiu County will promote the construction and improvement of the "three networks" project of water network, forest network and road network. Among them, in terms of water network, according to the idea of "watering during droughts, draining during floods, and storing during normal times", Qiu County dredged and expanded 90 canals with a total length of more than 460 kilometers, and renovated 94 pits and ponds; Increase the surface water irrigation area from 150,000 mu to 450,000 mu. In the past two years, the Laosha River with sufficient water has not only reduced farmers' land irrigation costs, but also increased crop yields.
The 600 acres of land planted in 2021 by Wu Dongchao, a major planter in Qiucheng Township, Qiu County, will all be watered with river water. "In the past, farmers used groundwater to irrigate the land at a cost of 60 yuan per mu. Now they use river water to irrigate the land, and they only cost 10 yuan per mu each time." Wu Dongchao said. It is understood that through the construction of the "Three networks" project, Qiu County can save 45 million yuan in land irrigation costs and 57 million cubic meters of groundwater extraction every year.
Source: People's Daily (page 15 on January 25, 2022)
