Yancheng City in Jiangsu Province is seizing the optimal winter-spring construction period to accelerate water conservancy projects. The city's water resources department is driving quality improvements and faster progress across initiatives ranging from national major projects to local water systems, and from urban flood control to the development of "Happy Rivers and Lakes." Construction sites are bustling with activity, laying a solid "water foundation" for regional high-quality development and improved public welfare.
Major projects are advancing at full speed to strengthen river basin barriers. At Section 19 of the Yancheng segment of the Huai River Seaward Waterway Phase II project, workers are operating excavators, bulldozers, and dump trucks in coordinated efforts. Site preparation, including clearing the north beach area, building cofferdams, and draining surface water, has been completed. Work is now focused on channel excavation and cement mixing pile construction for the Sifenchang Gate Station. As a key national water conservancy project, the Huai River Seaward Waterway Phase II is vital for regional flood control and public safety. All sections in Yancheng are racing against time to advance construction sequentially and steadily. Upon completion, the project will significantly enhance regional flood drainage capacity, providing reliable water infrastructure to protect lives and property and support local development.
Urban flood control projects are addressing weaknesses to improve safety and resilience. With increasing extreme weather events, urban flood control faces growing challenges. Yancheng's municipal flood control engineering department has established a comprehensive quality supervision system, enforcing strict quality and safety protocols. This includes a "sign-holding acceptance" procedure, specialized winter construction plans, enhanced on-site electrical management, and pre-shift safety training. In February 2025, the Chuannang River South Gate Station project, part of the city's effort to bolster urban flood control, passed its water flow acceptance inspection. The project replaced the original Chuannang River floodgate with a new gate station designed for a drainage capacity of 30 cubic meters per second and a water retention/flow capacity of 10 cubic meters per second. It improves drainage in southern Yancheng's Flood Control Zone III while ensuring water circulation, making the urban "water network" more efficient and resilient.
Modernization of irrigation districts is speeding up to ensure well-watered farmland. The Tidong Irrigation District in Dongtai City, covering 13 towns and a provincial farm, is a critical agricultural water source. In December 2025, a modernization upgrade began with a total investment of approximately 101 million yuan. The project involves dredging channels, renovating culverts and gates, improving 11 channels and 8 drainage ditches totaling 113.72 kilometers, and constructing or upgrading 17 culvert gates. Current progress includes completed foundation inspections for the Dongliu Branch Ditch Gate, finished base slab pouring for the Xinhe Branch Ditch Gate, ongoing piling for the Hongqi Branch Ditch slopes, and completed dredging and staking for the Xianjin Branch Ditch. The project is expected to be fully completed by December 2026, significantly enhancing irrigation reliability, water use efficiency, and canal structure integrity.
The "Happy Rivers and Lakes" initiative promotes collaborative creation of clean, green waterways. Construction is also underway at the Taidong River (Dongtai segment) National Happy Rivers and Lakes project. Installation and debugging of smart monitoring equipment are complete, 30 meters of U-shaped sheet piles for bank slope restoration have been installed, foundations for 300 meters of cultural display boards are under construction, 240 boundary markers are nearly all in place, and key landscaping work is progressing. Since 2025, Dongtai City has used the national Happy Rivers and Lakes program as an opportunity to systematically advance ecological restoration and landscape improvements, adhering to standards for safety, water clarity, biodiversity, cultural integration, and public satisfaction. For the 2026 winter-spring period, Dongtai plans to dredge 57 county and township rivers, improve 210 village ponds, build 40 rural ecological waterways spanning 175.86 kilometers, and continue ecological management of the Shuangxin small watershed.
Additionally, Binhai County in Yancheng plans to build 75 kilometers of new rural ecological waterways this year. Through measures such as water system connectivity, river dredging, ecological bank protection, and planting, rural waterways are being systematically improved to achieve clear water, green banks, beautiful scenery, and smooth flow. The county has now built over 1,153 kilometers of rural ecological waterways, achieving a coverage rate of 52% and continuously optimizing the rural water environment.
In the next phase, efforts will focus on strengthening responsibility, enhancing coordination, and maintaining safety standards. The deep advancement of the "Six Modernizations" of workplace safety will ensure key water conservancy projects are completed and operational as soon as possible, supporting high-quality development with high-level safety and providing solid water infrastructure for Yancheng's modernization.