Want to know: Where is the Wei Canal in Xianyang, Shaanxi, China?

The Baojixia Irrigation Area is located in the west of Guanzhong Prefecture, Shaanxi Province, China. It diverts water from the left bank of the Wei River and benefits 13 counties (districts) in the three cities of Baoji, Xianyang and Xi'an. The effective irrigation area is about 188,000 hm2, of which the gravity irrigation area accounts for about 2/3 and the lift irrigation area accounts for about 1/3. The irrigation area is 181km long from east to west, 14km wide from north to south on average, and 40km at its widest point. The average annual rainfall in the irrigation area is 566mm, and the average annual evaporation is 1110mm. The soil is fertile, with Weihe River alluvial soil below the plateau and aeolian soil above the plateau, which is part of the Loess Plateau. The depth of groundwater is 5m to 15m below the plateau and above 40m above the plateau. After the irrigation area started, the groundwater level in some areas rose rapidly, and the groundwater salinity was 0.5g/L~1.0g/L. The main crops are wheat, corn, cotton and rapeseed.

The irrigation area is divided into two major irrigation systems: the upper plateau and the lower plateau. The plateau irrigation area was expanded from the original Weihui Canal. The head of the canal is in Weijiabao, Mei County. The designed diversion flow is 45m3/s. The total length of the main canal and the two north and south main canals is 197km. The Weihui Canal was completed in 1937 and opened to water. By 1949, the irrigation area was 18,000 hm2. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, after renovation and expansion, the irrigation area increased to 38,000 hm2. In 1958, the Beigan Canal (pumped water for irrigation of the plateau highlands, referred to as Weigao Pumping) was built, and the irrigation area was expanded to 72,000 hm2. The construction of Yuanshang Irrigation District started in 1958, stopped in 1960, resumed in 1969, and was completed in 1971. Water from the Wei River is diverted from Linjia Village, Baoji City, with a designed water diversion flow of 50m3/s, an irrigation area of ​​128,000 hm2, and a total length of 215km of the main canal and the two east-west main canals. Baojixia Irrigation District has 69 branch canals with a total length of 696km. The entire irrigation area has 21 pumping stations and 11,349 supporting wells. There are also 4 medium-sized reservoirs on the plateau, with a total storage capacity of 229 million m3. There is a pumping station on the bank of the reservoir to replenish the main canal with reservoir water during periods of water stress. The entire irrigation area has formed a multi-water source irrigation system that mainly uses Weihe River water, combines diversion, storage and extraction, and uses both surface water and groundwater. The average annual water diversion volume in the irrigation area is 608 million m3, the water storage in reservoirs and ponds is 192 million m3, and the groundwater extraction is 127 million m3. The use of this irrigation area has ended the history of drought and water shortage in the Weibei Plateau in western Guanzhong. The average grain yield has doubled. The total grain output in the irrigation area accounts for 1/10 of the province's output, and the commercial grain provided accounts for 1/4 of the province's.

In 1975, the two irrigation districts on the plateau and the lower plateau were merged and managed by one management office, which had 5 management stations and 39 management stations. Irrigation areas implement water allocation based on area, and water fees are charged based on the water supply at the mouth of the bucket. Problems in the irrigation area are: insufficient water resources in drought years, affecting irrigation in some downstream areas; due to long-term irrigation, the groundwater level on the plateau rises year by year, causing waterlogging in some areas. In the future, in addition to further strengthening management and saving water, it is also necessary to dig drainage canals to solve the waterlogging problem.