The Songgu Irrigation Area in Lishui is on the 2022 ICID World Heritage Irrigation Structures candidate list. [Photo/WeChat account: wxlishui]

The Chinese National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage on May 7 announced the list of Chinese candidates for the 2022 ICID World Heritage Irrigation Structures. The Songgu Irrigation Area in Songyang county – administered by Lishui city in East China's Zhejiang province – was on the list.

ICID, the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage, is a leading scientific, technical, and professional not-for-profit international organization working as a knowledge-sharing platform and dedicated to improving agricultural water management practices.

Each year, the Chinese National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage recommends four candidate projects to the ICID.

The Songgu Irrigation Area – named after Songyang county and Gushi town – is the largest irrigation area in Zhejiang's Oujiang River basin and the largest grain producing area in Lishui.

Dating back to 154 BC, the irrigation area has a total area of some 11,066 hectares and boasts a rich and diverse engineering heritage. It is widely known as a model of ancient irrigation engineering in small and medium-sized watersheds.

Through thousands of years of development and transformation, hundreds of ancient water conservancy projects in the irrigation area are still useful for irrigation, drinking water, washing and sightseeing.