Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, September 24th. Topic: The drought situation in the Yangtze River Basin continues to fight drought and the water supply is generally controllable – an exclusive interview with the head of the flood and drought disaster prevention department of the Ministry of Water Resources
Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Shiping
At present, the water levels in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, as well as in Poyang Lake and Dongting Lake, are the lowest in history for the same period, and the drought in the Yangtze River Basin continues. Yao Wenguang, director of the flood and drought disaster prevention department of the Ministry of Water Resources, said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency on the 24th that the current drought-relief water supply is generally controllable, and the joint dispatch of reservoirs in the Yangtze River Basin will continue to be optimized to ensure the safety of urban and rural water supply.
The drought-affected area of arable land in the Yangtze River Basin is 29.85 million mu
Statistics from the Ministry of Water Resources show that since July this year, the rainfall in the Yangtze River Basin has decreased by nearly 50% compared with the same period of the previous year;
Yao Wenguang said that at present, the water level of the main stream of the Yangtze River and the two lakes of Poyang Lake and Dongting Lake is 4.56 meters to 7.72 meters lower than the same period of the previous year.
Among them, at 6:00 on September 23, the water level of Poyang Lake Xingzi Station was 7.10 meters, which was the lowest water level in history since hydrological records began in 1951; at 7:00 on the same day, the Jiangxi Provincial Hydrological Monitoring Center issued a red warning for dry water.
According to the statistics of the Ministry of Water Resources, the area of arable land in the Yangtze River Basin is 29.85 million mu. There are still 290,000 people and 350,000 large livestock who have temporary difficulties in drinking water due to drought. They are mainly distributed in the six provinces and cities of Chongqing, Hunan, Jiangxi, Hubei, Anhui and Guizhou. .
A new round of joint dispatching special action for reservoir groups replenishes 1.87 billion cubic meters of water
Yao Wenguang said that in the face of continued drought, the water conservancy department pays close attention and actively responds. The Ministry of Water Resources makes rolling forecasts and forecasts of drought conditions in the Yangtze River Basin, issues drought warnings in a timely manner, and strengthens analysis and rehearsal. At the same time, the special action of joint dispatch of drought-relief and water-supply protection for reservoir groups in the Yangtze River Basin was implemented, and drought-relief work was deployed in a targeted manner.
On September 12, the Ministry of Water Resources launched a new round of joint dispatch of reservoir groups in the Yangtze River Basin for drought relief and water supply, dispatching reservoir groups in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, Dongting Lake water system reservoir groups, and Poyang Lake water system reservoir groups to replenish water for the downstream to ensure the safety of drinking water for the masses. Guarantee the water demand for irrigation of 14.6 million mu of medium and late rice in 356 large and medium-sized irrigated areas in the “one river and two lakes” dry area, as well as the water demand for autumn grain in many small irrigated areas. At present, the new round of special action has replenished 1.87 billion cubic meters of water.
According to reports, the Ministry of Water Resources and the Ministry of Finance issued a central water conservancy disaster relief fund of 6.5 billion yuan to support the drilling of wells in dry areas, the construction of emergency water source projects for drought relief, the construction of emergency drought relief projects such as storage, diversion and transfer, the purchase of water lifting and water transport equipment, and subsidies for oil and electricity for drought relief. . At present, the relevant provinces and cities have divided the funds into counties, and the Ministry of Water Resources has issued a notice and held a video conference, requiring that specific projects be implemented within one month to give full play to the benefits of disaster relief funds.
Yao Wenguang said that at present, the water supply for drought resistance in the Yangtze River Basin is generally controllable, and the irrigation water sources in large and medium-sized irrigation areas and the centralized water supply in cities and towns are effectively guaranteed.
Taking multiple measures to deal with a drought that may persist or develop
It is predicted that the rainfall in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River will be less this autumn, the water level of the main stream of the Yangtze River and the two lakes will continue to decline, and the drought may continue or develop.
“Comprehensive analysis of the current reservoir water storage and autumn grain irrigation water demand, the irrigation of autumn grain crops in large and medium-sized irrigation areas is guaranteed, and the Ministry of Water Resources will make scientific scheduling according to the crop growth cycle to meet the irrigation water demand; the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the two lakes are mostly plain areas. , the groundwater level is high, the end of some large and medium-sized irrigation areas and many small irrigation areas can effectively solve the irrigation water source by drilling wells.” Yao Wenguang said.
He also said that looking forward to this winter and next spring, as the main crops that require water such as middle rice and late rice mature and harvest, agricultural water use will gradually decrease, while rape, wheat, vegetables and other overwintering crops require relatively little water, and the existing water storage and natural precipitation are basically the same. It can meet the water demand of winter crops, but some “Wangtiantian” without irrigation conditions may be affected.
He said that in the next step, the Ministry of Water Resources will, according to the development of drought conditions and changes in water demand in the basin, accurately match the water supply guarantee goals at different stages, and optimize the joint dispatch of the basin and reservoir groups with the Three Gorges Reservoir as the core. Guide drought areas to strengthen water conservation, build emergency water source projects for drought relief, strengthen unified dispatch and management of drought relief water sources, and ensure the safety of urban and rural water supply.
“Severe drought in areas with abundant water such as the Yangtze River Basin has also given us more warnings, and we must take a long-term perspective.” Yao Wenguang said that he will continue to strengthen the construction of water conservancy infrastructure, improve the ability of drought resistance forecasting, early warning, rehearsal, and plan, and strengthen water conservation. and water resources management, and further improve the comprehensive ability of drought resistance and disaster reduction.Return to Sohu, see more
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