After 23 years of water conservation, a "Tianshan Lake" has been created here!

The beautiful Tianshan Mountains nourish all things. Hami City, located in the eastern part of Xinjiang and spanning the north and south of the Eastern Tianshan Mountains, is an oasis city in the desert. The per capita water resources are less than half of the per capita water resources in Xinjiang, making it one of the water-scarce areas in Xinjiang. Thanks to the popularization of efficient agricultural water conservation, Xinjiang's agricultural production has ushered in a new leap. In 2023, Xinjiang's total summer grain output reached 7.012 million tons, setting a new historical high, and all kinds of specialty fruits and vegetables have achieved both quantity and quality improvement. Naomaohu Town, Yiwu County, Hami City, is 160 kilometers away from the Eastern Tianshan Mountains. The average annual precipitation is only 11.6 mm, while the annual evaporation exceeds 4,400 mm. This condition of sufficient sunlight and low precipitation is particularly suitable for the growth of Hami melons. It is one of the main planting areas of late-maturing Hami melons in Xinjiang.

The climate in the Naomao Lake area is dry and precipitation is scarce. Solving the water problem is the top priority of the planting base. In 1993, when the local melons were planted, various water-saving technologies were tried, and melon farmers were encouraged to use furrow irrigation, sub-film drip irrigation and other modes to save water. In 2001, the sub-film drip irrigation transformation of the Naomao Lake late-maturing Hami melon planting base was completed, saying goodbye to the original flood irrigation mode. In the past, melons were planted with flood irrigation, and about 500 cubic meters of water were required per mu of land. After changing to sub-film drip irrigation, the water consumption of collective farmland was controlled within 340 cubic meters, and an average of 160 cubic meters of water was saved per mu, and more than 35% of water could be saved per mu; the water consumption of state-owned farmland was controlled within 284 cubic meters, and an average of 216 cubic meters of water was saved per mu. Calculated based on the water saving of 190 cubic meters per mu of 40,000 mu of melon fields, a total of 175 million cubic meters of water was saved in 23 years. The water storage capacity of Tianshan Tianchi is about 160 million cubic meters, which means that the county has saved the amount of water of Tianshan Tianchi through various water-saving technologies.

The melon fields are basically irrigated with groundwater. Large-scale water conservation has ensured that the groundwater level in Naomaohu Town has not dropped over the years, and the surrounding ecological environment has not been greatly affected.

The application of new technologies has achieved the conservation and efficient utilization of water resources, and has also significantly improved the quality of Hami melons. Not only has the sugar content increased by more than 2 degrees, but the storage period has also been increased by more than 15 days, helping the Hami melons from Naomao Lake to reach more distant markets.

Today, Hami melon farmers can water their fields by opening the smart agricultural assistant on their mobile phones and tapping the valve button. The watering status of each field is clear at a glance. It is understood that among the 40,000 mu of late-maturing Hami melon planting area in Naomaohu Town, 20,000 mu have achieved smart water-saving irrigation. At present, the town is promoting the technical procedures for organic cultivation of late-maturing Hami melons, forming a standardized cultivation form that integrates water-saving drip irrigation, water-fertilizer integration, mechanized farming and fertilization, organic cultivation, Beidou navigation and other technologies.

Driven by efficient water-saving agriculture, people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang have adopted innovative means to grow and process fruits and vegetables, and have lived a "sweet life". In recent years, Xinjiang has fully implemented the water management policy of giving priority to water conservation, spatial balance, systematic governance, and two-pronged efforts, promoting the transformation of water resources management from an extensive model to a refined and scientific one. A unified, efficient, systematic and scientific water resources management pattern is accelerating, the water management and water use mechanism is smoother, and the water support for Xinjiang's high-quality development is more stable.

Review expert: Yang Rurong, associate researcher at the Institute of Geography and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences

China Association for Science and Technology Department of Science Popularization

Xinhuanet

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