After the beginning of autumn, the Chuwi region has been locked in continuous high temperatures. While urban and rural residents' domestic water supply remains stable, agricultural irrigation faces severe challenges. On August 27, a visit to Daolin Town in Ningxiang City revealed that late rice is in a critical growth period. Local Party committees, government officials, and residents are working together with multiple measures to find and pump water to quench farmland's thirst and ensure a good harvest.

**Swift Response to Drought: Specialized Teams Step Forward, Officials and Residents Create Anti-Drought Operations**

"The land waits for no one, the harvest waits for no one!" "We must not only find water but also deliver it to the fields!" Facing urgent drought conditions, Daolin Town's Party committee and government quickly sounded the anti-drought "charge." An emergency drought response meeting was immediately convened, establishing a drought resistance command center led by town officials. Town and village communities jointly formed specialized anti-drought teams, with Party members and officials carrying water pumps, hoses, and shovels directly to the fields, moving their "offices" to the frontlines of drought resistance.

To mobilize more forces, the town used publicity vehicles to tour villages explaining anti-drought policies, while village WeChat groups shared real-time appeals. Residents responded enthusiastically, carrying their own water pumps and holding hoes to provide support. Some crouched on field ridges setting up pipes for water pumping, others crawled into channels to clear weeds and silt. The busy figures of officials and residents in the fields created a moving "anti-drought landscape."

**Water Source Breakthrough: Abandoned Mines Become "Water Reservoirs," Relay Pumping Nourishes Crops**

On August 27, the sun remained scorching. Within half an hour of entering Hedong New Village in Daolin Town, clothes were soaked with sweat. Over the mountain ridge, an abandoned mine entrance half-hidden by weeds came into view—villagers busied around the entrance, their pant legs and clothing stained with brown mud.

"Don't let the water pipes scrape against the cave walls!" Village resident Bao Liangjun bent over pulling water pipe belts, sweat dripping down his cheeks. Other villagers worked with clear division of labor—some carrying pumps and equipment, others crouching to connect pipe joints, with no one stopping their work.

Bao Liangjun told us with a hoarse voice: "We worked until 2 AM last night and came back at 6 AM this morning, without even eating breakfast." As six water pumps started up successively, the "buzzing" sound echoed through the valley. Soon, clear groundwater gushed from the pipes, flowing along temporary ditches like a silver stream through field ridges toward the rice paddies.

Bao Liangjun looked toward the water flow with satisfaction: "The village helps coordinate equipment and find water sources, and town leaders frequently come to inquire and help solve problems."

At 6 AM checking water levels at Jinjiang River pumping station, morning monitoring of water "climbing uphill" from the sixth branch canal to mountain pond pumping station, afternoon trips to Lintang "drought dead zones," and evening compilation of drought conditions from each village group... Jiang Binghong, Party Secretary of Hedong New Village, never stops moving. Pointing to the rice fields, he said: "This is the critical period for autumn grain sprouting. Without adequate 'sprouting water,' yields could drop by more than 30%!"

According to introduction, the abandoned mine tunnel was a limestone mine closed in 2015, now serving as a "lifesaving water source." Groundwater pumped from it alone can solve irrigation needs for nearly 1,000 acres of farmland.

**Water Conservation and Efficiency: Channel Clearing and Water Saving, Scientific Drought Resistance Protects Harvest**

Drought resistance requires not only "finding water" but also "conserving water." Facing limited water sources, Hedong New Village calculates its "water conservation account" clearly.

"Channels are severely blocked with silt and weeds, water flows slowly with high loss—it's like pumping for nothing!" Jiang Binghong said the village immediately organized over 50 villagers in groups for dredging.

Under the scorching midday sun, the canal sides bustled with activity. Some jumped into waist-deep channels, manually removing rotten grass and debris; others waited at channel edges, piling waste by the roadside. Everyone's clothes were soaked through, but no one complained of fatigue.

"After clearing the channels, water flows faster. Previously irrigating one acre took two hours, now one and a half hours is enough!" Village elder Jiang smiled, saying both water and time are precious now—saving a little means irrigating one more acre.

To date, Hedong New Village has cleared nearly 10 kilometers of irrigation channels, effectively reducing water source loss. The town also dispatched agricultural technicians door-to-door, teaching villagers "shallow water frequent irrigation," adjusting irrigation amounts based on crop growth conditions.

"No waiting, no depending—conducting self-rescue, ensuring crops drink their fill while not wasting a single drop," Jiang Binghong said.

The autumn sun remains intense, but Daolin Town's fields are full of vitality. The roar of water pumps contains officials' and residents' resilience, flowing canal water carries harvest determination, and villagers' weathered faces are filled with love for the land.

"Drought resistance is a race against time and drought conditions, relying on Party members leading and people following in unity. We strive with all our might to ensure not one acre goes dry, not one farming household faces reduced production!" The villagers' words express their drought resistance determination.