Water Irrigation

Japan and its Intelligent Irrigation System

After being familiar with the drip irrigation system in Israel and also the oldest irrigation system in China, this time we will tell you about an existing irrigation system in the country of Sakura. Yes, about Japan Irrigation.

Japanese Agriculture

One of the best known irrigation systems in Japan is the existing irrigation system in the Niigata Prefecture. Niigata City is a famous port city overlooking the Sea of ​​Japan. Niigata is famous for its rice production. As a result, sake is also produced in this city, making many visitors come here to try this drink. Talking about rice production, of course it is closely related to the irrigation system to irrigate the rice fields in this city. Apart from being unique, this system is also very efficient in utilizing water by implementing an orderly management of water resources. The source of water used is a large river, namely the Shinano River, which is 3km from the area where the land is managed with sufficient water discharge. River water is raised to the reservoir using a powerful pump and then from the reservoir it is flowed using underground water pipes with a diameter of 30 cm to the surrounding farms.

Niigata

What makes this system quite sophisticated is that each rice field owner has a place to open irrigation water which is used to irrigate rice fields. This certainly prevents the struggle for water use. The distribution of water is carried out alternately one day, which means that one day is out and one day is closed. Its use is in accordance with the needs of local rice fields which can be adjusted using a lever that can be opened and closed manually. From the discharge gate, the water is then flowed to the rice fields through a pipe which is below the ground surface. Meanwhile, to adjust the water level is done by manually raising and lowering the water discharge door. The discharge of water from the rice fields enters an irrigation channel made of concrete so that water easily returns to the small river, without seeping wasted underground. The prevention of water seepage is carried out very efficiently.

This relatively simple irrigation system is in fact able to increase efficiency in preventing water infiltration. Areas that tend to have limited water resources can use this Niigata irrigation system. It is hoped that with the right irrigation system, agricultural production will increase, so that the welfare of the community, including farmers, will also increase.

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