The reporter learned from the Department of Water Resources that the first-step program of the Phase I project for the North General Main Canal in the Xiangjiaba Irrigation Area has recently passed its water supply acceptance inspection, marking the project's readiness for water delivery and operations. It is expected that the project will officially start water supply in the first quarter of this year, and the people in Yibin, Zigong and Neijiang will then have access to water from the Jinsha River.

The first-step program of the Phase I project for the North General Main Canal in the Xiangjiaba Irrigation Area is among the 172 key national water conservation projects. It is a vital component of Sichuan's "six horizontal, six vertical" backbone water network and also the first large-scale backbone water conservancy project in the province's southern area. It transports high-quality water from the Jinsha River across basins, thereby improving the production and living conditions in the irrigation area. The project, approved with a total estimated investment of 7.6 billion yuan, includes the new construction of main and branch canals and water supply pipelines totaling 172 kilometers, which are primarily tasked with agricultural irrigation, urban and rural domestic water supply, and industrial water supply.

Upon completion and operation, the project will completely transform southern Sichuan's historical lack of large-scale, regional-spanning backbone water conservancy projects, greatly alleviating water scarcity issues caused by engineering constraints. It will provide an annual average of 374 million cubic meters of water to Zigong, Neijiang and Yibin cities, ensuring water supply for 1.4 million urban and rural residents and irrigating 510,000 mu (approximately 34,000 hectares) of cultivated land.

A relevant person in charge from the Xiangjiaba Company of Sichuan Water Development Group stated that all sides involved in the subsequent construction will accelerate the completion of the first-step program of the Phase I project and initiate the second-step program, standardize the project operation and dispatching management, actively expand the water supply market, and concurrently promote the matching of field irrigation canal systems, striving to fully realize the comprehensive benefits of the Xiangjiaba Irrigation District project as soon as possible.