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"xinhua viewpoint" reporters recently interviewed in lindian county, heilongjiang province and found that some of the large-scale sprinkler irrigation equipment that the local government had built at great expense could not be used. some were left with only the bare frames standing in the fields, with no parts to be found; some drought-resistant water wells had also become decorations.

"ordinary people can't use it, and the country has wasted money." many local villagers lamented.

it is reported that in response to the problem of some agricultural projects being "built but not used", lindian county has formulated a project investigation and rectification plan to inspect the facilities of agricultural projects throughout the county.

equipment starts to disappear in the second year, and there is nothing left in the third year

lindian county was once a key county for poverty alleviation in the southern foothills of the greater khingan range. it was lifted out of poverty in 2020 and is now a key county for rural revitalization.

not long ago, the reporter went to many towns and villages in lindian county and saw that some large sprinkler irrigation equipment in the fields could not be used, with parts lost or broken, and some were dismantled because they were "in the way".

in a corn field in xinfu village, sijiqing town, a large sprinkler irrigation device stood bare in the field. the reporter saw that the tires of the device were deflated, and the motor, sprinkler head and other parts were not visible, and the transformer was also missing.

after further questioning by the reporter, the party secretary of xinfu village led the reporter to find six or seven transformers in a farmer's home. "they are stored here for fear of losing them," said a village official, who said that he had not seen the large sprinkler equipment in operation since returning to the village in 2013.

large sprinkler equipment being dismantled. photo by xinhua news agency reporter yang xuan

in xinmin village, sijiqing town, a large pile of large sprinkler equipment parts were placed in a corner of a yard. "they have never been used, only the racks and wheels are left." village cadres told reporters that the equipment was intact in the first year, but started to be lost in the second year, and there was nothing left in the third year.

according to local officials, the large-scale sprinkler irrigation equipment was built during the implementation of the "water-saving and grain-increasing action". it is understood that from 2012 to 2015, relevant departments supported the implementation of the "water-saving and grain-increasing action" in the four provinces and regions of northeast china.

according to the relevant person in charge of the lindian county water affairs bureau, the county water affairs bureau was responsible for the bidding and construction, which was implemented in three phases in 2012, 2014 and 2015, covering eight towns in the county, with a total investment of nearly 200 million yuan. the project includes 58 large-scale sprinkler irrigation equipment, as well as supporting equipment such as water wells, transformers, and buried cables.

in addition to sijiqing town, the reporter also visited lindian town and many other places and found that many large-scale sprinkler irrigation equipment were in a state of "built but not used, built but difficult to use".

the reporter learned that after the completion of the "water saving and grain increasing action" project in lindian county, it was uniformly handed over to villages and farmers, and all equipment was managed according to the principle of "whoever benefits is responsible" and registered in each village. when the reporter interviewed the equipment management in xinfu village, the village cadres did not produce the ledger on the grounds that the village accountant was not at home.

transformers stored in farmers' homes. photo by xinhua news agency reporter dong baosen

according to relevant personnel from the lindian county water affairs bureau, only about 60% of the large-scale sprinkler equipment that is part of the "water saving and grain increasing campaign" is currently usable due to missing or damaged parts.

in addition to large-scale sprinkler equipment, some villagers reported that a number of drought-resistant water wells built in various villages in previous years also had problems.

reporters found in many villages in lindian county that some of the iron houses protecting drought-resistant water wells were damaged, some lacked supporting equipment, and some had even disappeared.

a tin house protecting a water well in lindian county was damaged, and no supporting equipment was seen. photo by xinhua news agency reporter dong baosen

the reporter saw in xinfu village, sijiqing town, that there was no water pump in the well house, and there was only a lonely electric pole outside the well house, with no wires connected. "the water source well is just a decoration. in the spring when there is drought, we can only spend money to pump water for irrigation," said a villager named zhang.

why “build but not use”?

the farmers and grassroots cadres interviewed told reporters that there are many reasons behind the fact that some large-scale sprinkler equipment and water wells are "built but not used".

many interviewees said that large-scale sprinkler irrigation equipment is more suitable for large farms or contiguous farmland. the relevant person in charge of the lindian county water affairs bureau said that local people call large-scale sprinkler irrigation equipment "big sprinkler". lindian county has limited arable land, and the ration fields contracted by the people are few and scattered, which is not suitable for "big sprinkler". moreover, its operation will crush the arable land of surrounding farmers, causing conflicts.

some villagers said that the "big sprayer" was built without the villagers' consent and directly occupied the land, and some of the equipment has not been moved since its installation.

in addition, the high cost of use and maintenance is also a problem. a grassroots cadre said that this type of "big sprayer" is ordered in bulk, and it is difficult to buy spare parts when they are broken, and the price is also high. a farmer told reporters that it is not cost-effective to use "big sprayers" to irrigate the land. they usually use four-wheeled vehicles to pull large buckets of water to irrigate the land.

a flat tire on a large sprinkler in lindian county. photo by xinhua news agency reporter dong baosen

"it's a big burden, so it's better to demolish it." a village official in xinmin village said that the "big sprayer" is too big, and farmers whose land is occupied have to be compensated 500 yuan every year. xinmin village has two "big sprayers", and farmers have to be compensated 1,000 yuan every year. over the years, the cumulative expenditure has exceeded 10,000 yuan.

in addition, some "big sprays" will hinder agricultural machinery from operating in the fields.

"some villagers want to demolish it, but the county water bureau says the 'big fountain' cannot be demolished. it can't be demolished and it can't be used; it stands there and if things get lost, we are still responsible," some village cadres complained.

regarding drought-resistant water wells, some villagers reported that some water wells had electric poles erected but no electricity, making them "half-finished projects"; some water wells were not built to high standards, and no one maintained them after they were built, making them "abandoned wells."

in sijiqing town, when reporters asked about the construction standards, management and supervision of drought-resistant water wells, the party secretary and mayor of sijiqing town did not give a clear answer.

take multiple measures to strengthen the management and protection of agricultural projects

the "decision of the central committee of the communist party of china on further comprehensively deepening reforms and promoting chinese-style modernization" reviewed and adopted at the third plenary session of the 20th central committee of the communist party of china proposed: "improve the long-term management mechanism for assets formed by national investment in poverty alleviation." cui kai, an associate researcher at the institute of rural development of the chinese academy of social sciences, and other experts said that for the poverty alleviation assets formed during the poverty alleviation period, there must be long-term planning and strict management mechanisms to ensure that national investment benefits the people and plays a long-term role.

according to the investigation and rectification plan formulated by lindian county, lindian county intends to classify and manage the facilities of agricultural projects in the county according to "usable, usable after repair, and unusable". at the same time, it will strengthen management and maintenance, clarify the responsible persons for management and maintenance, and effectively ensure the benefits of agricultural projects.

relevant officials of lindian county said that lindian county will carry out regular inspections on infrastructure included in the village collective assets to ensure that the infrastructure is used and that agricultural projects can really play a role. reporters learned that the lindian county water affairs bureau has formulated the "lindian county water conservancy drought relief facilities management and maintenance measures" to further promote the standardization of water conservancy drought relief facilities management and maintenance.

industry experts believe that the idleness of some agricultural facilities in lindian county is not an isolated case, and similar situations also exist in some other places. the construction of agricultural projects requires scientific planning, close to the needs of the people, and enhanced participation of villagers. we should follow the principle of "planning and building what the local actual needs are" to avoid blind investment and "snap decisions". at the same time, we should explore a diversified management and maintenance mechanism based on actual conditions to prevent the phenomenon of "money spent, people gone, and projects abandoned".

the grassroots people interviewed said that supervision of agricultural projects should be strengthened, and how the money is spent and what the standards are should be fully transparent and public. the grassroots people called for a thorough investigation of problematic projects, strengthening daily management of agricultural projects and funds, and implementing performance evaluation to ensure efficient use.

cui kai suggested that in order to ensure the sustainable and sound operation of agricultural infrastructure, we should explore professional and market-oriented operation and maintenance models, clarify the responsible parties, and establish a long-term mechanism. (reporters dong baosen and yang xuan)