Outlook | Doing a Good Job in the "Water Chapter" of Xinjiang in the New Era

In 2022, the total number of reservoirs in Xinjiang reached 671, with a total storage capacity of 12.134 billion cubic meters, an increase of 865 million cubic meters compared to the same period last year, and a cumulative ecological replenishment of 36.7 billion cubic meters

In the past, it took nearly 20 hours for water to flow from the gate to the fields. After the channel was renovated, as soon as the gate was released, farmers rode motorcycles to the fields, and the upstream river water could flow to their own fields in less than two hours

Reporter from Outlook Newsweek

Zhang Yu, Gou Lifeng, Ma Jiashuai, Liu Haoyu

Photo by Jin Haoyuan of Bosteng Lake Estuary Scenic Area in Xinjiang/This issue

Beautiful Xinjiang, where people and water coexist.

Water is a fundamental natural resource and strategic economic resource for the economic and social development of Xinjiang. Xinjiang is located in an arid inland region with low precipitation, characterized by uneven distribution of water resources in time and space, mismatch between water resource distribution and economic development layout, and uneven distribution of natural river runoff within the year.

For thousands of years, people of all ethnic groups in the north and south of Tianshan have lived by water, and oasis civilization has flourished due to water. Doing a good job in the "water chapter" has significant practical and far-reaching historical significance for ensuring water security, maintaining ecological stability, promoting high-quality economic and social development, and improving people's livelihoods in Xinjiang.

Recently, reporters from Outlook Newsweek followed the theme interview team of "Looking at Xinjiang Along Rivers and Lakes" and went deep into Turpan, Kashgar and other places in Xinjiang, exploring along rivers and lakes, recording a new chapter in Xinjiang's water management in the new era.

Comprehensive policy implementation

Playing a Chess Game for Good Water Resource Management

In recent years, Xinjiang has firmly established the concept of "one game of chess" and adopted a systematic approach to overall planning, management, and utilization of water resources in the entire region.

Turpan, known as the "Fire Island", is located in a mountainous basin on the southern slope of the eastern part of the sky. It is dry and hot, with an average annual precipitation of only 16 millimeters but an evaporation rate of over 3000 millimeters. The special natural conditions have caused Turpan to face a long-term water shortage problem.

In the long past, the ancient water conservancy and irrigation facilities, such as Karez, brought in melted ice and snow through underground canals to nourish and nurture the children of various ethnic groups in the area. However, with the increase in population, the expansion of arable land area, and the increase in industrial water use, Karez is no longer able to meet the surging water demand. A new water conservancy project has been completed and implemented, bringing abundant water sources.

At the end of 2015, the construction of a large riverside reservoir began in the upper reaches of the Turpan Mountains. The project can lead the large river originating from Bogda Mountain downstream along the river, ensuring the water supply for 100000 acres of farmland and industry in Gaochang District, Turpan City, while also playing a role in flood control during the flood season.

Yishak Huji, Director of the Rural Drinking Water Safety Service Center in Gaochang District, introduced that the maximum depth of the concrete anti-seepage wall in the reservoir is 186.15 meters. After being put into use in 2020, the irrigation guarantee rate has increased from 75% to 90%, and the seasonal water shortage problem in the irrigation area has been solved.

"In the past June and July, grapes did not have enough water to drink, often dried up and lost their fruits." Ainiyu Aimaiti, a worker at the Hongliuhe Horticultural Farm in Turpan City, said that after the reservoir was built, agricultural irrigation water was sufficient, and grapes grew vigorously, with high yield and good quality.

The Yarkand River is the largest river in the Kashgar region. During the flood season from May to September each year, the upstream floods flood down, posing significant risks to the personal and property safety of coastal residents. In winter, it enters the dry season, and there is no water available for coastal residents.

"During the flood season, floods carry sand and gravel, like a moving small mountain, washing away farmland and forest land." Maimaiti Wusman, a villager from Arrenao Village in Gulebag Township, Zepu County, said that villagers who also serve as flood control volunteers spend several months each year going up the mountain to pick up stones and branches to consolidate temporary flood control dams, which not only takes time and effort but also delays agricultural production.

After the completion of the construction of the Altash Water Conservancy Hub in 2020, the water disaster that had plagued the people along the Yarkand River for many years was resolved. Under the premise of ensuring the ecological water supply of the Tarim River, Altash plays a comprehensive role in flood control, irrigation, and power generation, benefiting over 6 million people in the basin.

Nowadays, all standard embankments and revetments have been built in the Zepu section of the Yerqiang River, giving local residents more time to invest in production and increase income.

Xinjiang fully taps into the existing water conservancy engineering regulation and storage capacity and reservoir water storage potential, while responding to basin floods through systematic scheduling, utilizing river lake reservoir connectivity to achieve maximum utilization of flood resources, and constructing a basin water network pattern with rich and dry regulation and multi-source complementarity. In 2022, the total number of reservoirs in Xinjiang reached 671, with a total storage capacity of 12.134 billion cubic meters, an increase of 865 million cubic meters compared to the same period last year, effectively ensuring spring irrigation water use in 2023. The cumulative ecological water replenishment was 36.7 billion cubic meters, an increase of 3.84 billion cubic meters compared to the previous year.

In southern Xinjiang, the Aksu River, Yerqiang River, and Hotan River implement a three source flow system, with staggered discharge, to minimize the seasonal interruption time of the main stream of the Tarim River. Last year, the entire water supply time was 153 days, the longest in nearly five years.

In addition, Xinjiang has implemented the "supplementing drought with abundant water" policy in the main flow of the Tarim River to the Kaidu Kongque River. By 2022, 550 million cubic meters of water will be transferred, and 270 million cubic meters of water will be transferred beyond the plan. The beneficial areas for agricultural irrigation and ecological water replenishment will reach 380000 mu and 270000 mu, respectively.

By strengthening the overall coordination and systematic allocation of the watershed, taking into account the upstream and downstream, main and tributaries, and left and right banks, as well as the agricultural water demand and ecological protection goals, Xinjiang has achieved river and lake connectivity, storage and drainage planning, and mutual assistance between abundant and dry seasons.

Technological Empowerment

Use every drop of water carefully and meticulously

In Xinjiang, agricultural water consumption accounts for over 90% of the total economic and social water consumption. The principle of prioritizing water conservation is integrated into all aspects of agricultural production, from releasing water through gates to using water in the fields. In recent years, various regions in the region have been empowered by technology to explore efficient water-saving measures such as channel engineering water-saving, drip irrigation, and integrated water and fertilizer, continuously improving water efficiency and significantly enhancing water-saving capabilities.

The reporter saw a 2.8 kilometer long, about 1 meter deep, high standard concrete connected ditch in Xiaareniao Village, Gulebage Township, Zepu County, Kashgar Prefecture, resembling a silver snake passing through a sand dune, continuously diverting the water source to the field.

The village of Arenao in Gulebag Township is located on the edge of a sand dune. In the past, open soil channels had high leakage, large evaporation, and long water delivery times. Wind and sand could easily cause channel blockage, and a large amount of manpower and material resources were needed to clean the channels before each irrigation.

"Before constructing a high standard connecting channel, it takes nearly 20 hours for water to flow from the gate to the fields. After the channel renovation, once the gate is released, farmers ride motorcycles to the fields, and the upstream river water can flow to their own fields in less than two hours." Aihemaiti Aihaiti, Secretary of the Party Group and Deputy Director of the Zepu County Water Resources Bureau, told reporters.

Chen Zhong, Director of the Project Office of the Water Resources Bureau of Zepu County, introduced that in 2023, the county will implement the Baishigan Medium sized Irrigation Area Continuation and Modernization Reconstruction Project. The 2.8 kilometer Douqu in Xia'arinao Village, Gulebage Township will be straightened, rectangular grooves will be installed, and cover plates will be added to reduce leakage losses and water evaporation. The water transfer efficiency will be greatly improved, and the water resource utilization coefficient will be increased from the previous 0.47 to 0.95.

By promoting the anti-seepage transformation of channels, Zepu County has achieved a anti-seepage rate of 100%, 91%, and 50% for dry, branch, and bucket channels, respectively. It has also improved the construction of bridges, culverts, and gates, which not only improves the irrigation conditions for agricultural production but also facilitates the daily production and cultivation of farmers.

In addition to water-saving measures in channel engineering, many areas in Xinjiang are exploring efficient agricultural water-saving measures in the fields.

Entering Towanhadilke Village in Kumkusar Township, Maigaiti County, one comes across a lush and boundless cotton field. On flat land, the integrated drip irrigation system for water and fertilizer is undergoing fully automated and precise irrigation.

It's hard to imagine that the nearly 5000 acres of high standard farmland in front of us were still overgrown with weeds two years ago. "In the past, this land was uneven, with abandoned land and planting land intertwined. After the land was leveled, the land utilization rate increased by at least 20 percentage points," said Abdul Shoukel Abulimiti, Deputy Secretary of the Kumkusar Township Party Committee.

On the basis of leveling the land, scientific water use enhances the construction of high standard farmland like a tiger. Chen Ming, the person in charge of the integrated water and fertilizer construction project in Maigaiti County, introduced: "After installing the intelligent water and fertilizer integrated drip irrigation system, farmers can remotely monitor soil moisture and control the irrigation system through mobile applications. They can achieve quantitative, timed and precise irrigation and fertilization without leaving their homes."

In 2023, Maigaiti County plans to invest 416 million yuan to build 125000 acres of high standard farmland. After the completion of the project, the area of high standard farmland in the county will reach 989500 mu, accounting for 86.7% of the total arable land area. The effects of water conservation, fertilizer conservation, labor conservation, and yield increase will be further demonstrated.

Located in Naomaohu Town, Yiwu County, Hami City, it is a high-quality production area for cantaloupes. In the past, due to the lack of scientific planting models, the quality of local cantaloupes varied, and the income growth of melon farmers was slow.

The melon fields of Zhou Rugang's family, a farmer in Naomaohu Town, used to be flooded with water. Despite being watered more, the melons did not grow much. "After switching to drip irrigation under plastic film, the size of the melons increased, the sugar content increased, and the commodity rate significantly increased."

On the basis of understanding the family background, Xinjiang focuses on water-saving and water storage, coordinating living, production, and ecological water use. Not only has it successfully completed the task of ecological governance, protection, and restoration, but farmland along various river basins has also been fully irrigated. In 2022, the total supply of agricultural water in the entire region was 54.27 billion cubic meters, an increase of 4.954 billion cubic meters from the previous year, an increase of 3.01 million acres of irrigated crops, and an increase in grain production of 777000 tons.

The symbiosis of human and water creates a picturesque scene of beauty, wealth, and innovation

As early autumn approaches, Tokson County in the western part of Flame Mountain is still hot. Under the scorching sun, the banks of the Baiyang River are full of vitality, with apricot and willow trees thriving. The Baiyang River is the "mother river" of Tokson County, flowing through the city and nourishing more than half of the county's farmland. From January to June 2023, the environmental quality of the Baiyang River in Turpan City ranked ninth in the national surface water assessment.

In recent years, Tokson County has increased its efforts in the comprehensive management of the Baiyang River, constructing a total length of 44 kilometers of flood control embankments in important river sections, constructing 5 new hydraulic dams, continuously promoting the forest lake system, and improving the appearance of rivers and lakes.

"Previously, I was worried about building dams and fighting floods by the Baiyang River, but now I come to the Baiyang River to enjoy the cool and entertainment." Ma Juncai, a resident of Toksun Town in Toksun County, said that beautiful ecological parks have been built on both sides of the river. At night, many citizens walk, exercise, and dance along the river. The Baiyang River has become a beautiful business card of Toksun County.

In recent years, Xinjiang has focused on river and lake governance, inspiring the whole society to participate in river and lake ecological environment governance, and continuously releasing economic and social benefits from a good ecological source.

Bosten Lake is located in Bohu County, Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, at the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains. It is the largest inland freshwater lake in the country, with a total water capacity of nearly 10 billion cubic meters. The lake irrigates tens of thousands of hectares of fertile land in the Peacock River basin, and is known as the local "mother lake".

On one side is the "lake" that is the source of life, and on the other is the "desert" of the Sea of Death - Bosten Lake in early September is breathtaking. In 2014, Bosten Lake became a national 5A level tourist attraction and was approved as the sixth batch of national ecological civilization demonstration zones in November 2022.

"Good ecological resource endowment is the greatest advantage and potential of Bohu tourism," said Liu Yi, Director of Bohu County Branch of Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture Ecological Environment Bureau. After implementing a large number of ecological governance projects such as national lake ecological environment protection, the water quality in Bohu County has significantly improved. The water level of Bosten Lake has returned to 1047 meters, nearly 2 meters higher than its lowest point.

From January to July 2023, Bohu County received a total of 2.8069 million tourists, a year-on-year increase of 74.75%, and achieved tourism revenue of 1.311 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 67.98%.

Maigaiti County in Kashgar is located on the southwest edge of the Taklamakan Desert. Nowadays, this desert area accounts for 90% of the total area of the county and is the only county in the country that has been "embedded in the desert", leading to the development of freshwater lobster farming in Australia.

"We use the ice and snow melt water of the Yerqiang River for lobster farming, and the lobsters we raise are tender and big," said Wu Zhiyou, the person in charge of Kashgar Dingyuanju Special Aquaculture Development Co., Ltd., holding a lobster and introducing it to reporters.

Wu Zhiyou said, "We use pond intensive aquaculture combined with greenhouse temporary aquaculture to develop comprehensive and characteristic aquaculture. We change water 3-4 times a year, and the tail water of crayfish farming has good fertility and high eutrophication. After being discharged into the water channel, it is used for irrigation in farmland, achieving comprehensive utilization of water resources and non-destructive consumption."

At present, all 12 counties and cities in Kashgar are aquaculture counties, with a total of 312 various aquaculture entities, a aquaculture area of 90868.5 acres, a total fishery output of 14062.1 tons, and a total fishery output value of 281 million yuan.

Deng Kangchu, Director of the Fisheries Supervision Department of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Department of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, introduced that Xinjiang actively promotes the use of fish for water purification, fish for grass control, and fish for algae inhibition. While repairing the ecological environment of water bodies and maintaining biodiversity, it has also turned aquaculture into a prosperous industry for the people. In 2022, the per capita income of fishermen in Xinjiang reached 19960 yuan.

Rivers and lakes surge, creating a myriad of phenomena. Xinjiang adheres to the water conservation priority, spatial balance, systematic governance, and dual efforts in water management. It coordinates the management of water resources, water environment, and water ecology, and strives to find a new path of intensive development and symbiosis between humans and water through the rational allocation and efficient utilization of water resources.