The Department of Irrigation and Drainage is one of the earliest established departments of the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research. The department is specialized on the research and extension of irrigation and drainage technology, engineering planning and design of irrigation and drainage projects. The department has aimed to provide service to the modernization of irrigation and drainage for the Peoples Republic of China. The main research tasks of the department are as following: water-saving techniques, drainage techniques, low and medium-yield land improvement, groundwater assessment and development, soil water and salt dynamic movement, radial collector well, rubber dam, irrigation water management and water environment in farmland. The shortage of water resources has been an important constraint to the development of the national economy. With the increment of population and the development of industrialization and urbanization, the conflict between water supply and requirement is getting more and more serious currently the irrigation water supply takes up about 80% of the total water supply volume of the country. Therefore, the research and extension on water-saving technology and modernization of irrigation and drainage management will be extremely important to the sustainable agriculture development of the country. In the future, the department will continually aim to seek solution to the problems on irrigation and drainage and make more contribution to the nation's economy.

Staffs and Sectors

Currently, there are 33 technical staffs in the department, including 2 professors, 15 senior engineers, 10 engineers and 3 technicians. The department is supported by 5 sectors, 2 centres, 1 company and 1 factory, listed as following:
 

	The first water-saving irrigation sector with the responsibility of research and extension on sprinkler irrigation, drip irrigation and sub-surface irrigation.
	The second water-saving irrigation sector with the responsibility of research and extension on basin irrigation furrow irrigation laser leveling, canal lining, low-pressure sub-surface pipeline, and comprehensive soil and water management.
	Irrigation water management sector with the responsibility of research and extension on irrigation district and catchement water management, computer and GIS application on irrigation and drainage management and canal automation.
	Drainage and water environment sector with the responsibility of research and extension on sub-surface drainage radial collector well drainage, amelioration of saline and alkaline land, and assessment of farmland water environment.
	Engineering design sector with the responsibility of design and consultation on sprinkler irrigation, drip and other water-saving irrigation, rubber dam, gate and dam, canal lining, low-pressure pipeline and sub-surface drainage pipe.
	Quality testing centre for irrigation and drainage equipment of the Ministry of Water Resources.
	Beijing San Wei High-tech Development company
	Yanshan drip technical research centre
	Water-saving equipment factory.

Following academic organizations are also attached to the department:
 

	Secretariat of the Chines National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage
	National information net work on low-pressure pipeline
	National association net work on computer application in irrigation district
	Low-pressure pipeline working group, drainage working group, water measure working group, rubber dam working group, machinery working group if Chinese Hydraulic Engineering Society.

 
Major Research Facilities

Drainage laboratory, materiel testing laboratory, soil physical and chemical laboratory, well-equipped irrigation and drainage equipment testing hall with 600m² in area, comprehensive water-saving experiment base with 20 ha in area, water-saving equipment factory with 1000m² in area, neutron moisture meter, TDR, rainfall simulator, radial well model, laser leveling, digital instrument and computers.

Major achievements

Up to now, the department has achieved 170 achievements, in which among these achievements are one national outstanding prize, two national second class prize and 17 provincial prize. The major projects under taken by the department are as followings:

National key scientific research projects

	"Sixth 5 year" project titled" improvement and comprehensive management of medium and low yield field on Huang-Huai-Hai plain".
	"Seventh 5-year" project titled "research on low-pressure pipeline".
	"Eighth 5 year" project titled "comprehensive water-saving irrigation and drainage research for sustainable agriculture development".
	"Ninth 5-year" project titled "research and extension on water-saving technology".

 
National nature scientific foundation project

	The regulation in soil water circulation and water-saving mechanism
	Research on the relationship between sprinkler irrigation uniforming and crop yield

 
Key project of the Ministry of Water Resources

	Research on irrigation water management information and decision support system
	Research on field water and soil resources management and optimal combination
	Research on sub-surface irrigation

 
International collaborative projects

	Research and survey on agricultural water development for Beijing Haizi reservoir (with Japan)
	Research on soil and water management for sustainable agriculture development on Huang-Huai-Hai plain (with EC)
	Research on sewage irrigation (with Australia)

 
The department is approved by the State Science Commission as the technical support base for the following 6 techniques:

	Sprinkler drip and micro irrigation in drought and semi-drought area
	Low-pressure plastic pipeline technology
	Rubber dam technology
	Drip system
	Application of thin-wall plastic pipe
	Water-saving technology for cash crops

The department has also finished 3 national standards and 11water sector standards for irrigation and drainage projects

Products

The major products of the department are as following:

	Surge irrigation equipment
	Drip irrigation equipment
	Gated pipe irrigation equipment
	Radial collective well equipment
	Software for irrigation water management