Zhang Huimin, Huang Fugui, Cheng Xianguo, Luo Yuli and Bian Yanli

Yellow River Institute of Hydraulic Research, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan

Abstract: Irrigation districts are the major water consumer in the Yellow River, which has annually diverted about 70% of the total water of the whole basin in average. Restricted by economical condition, facilities of irrigation districts and management method and so on, the irrigation water badly wastes and the water utilized coefficient is lower, generally under 0.5, greatly exacerbating  the conflict of water resource shortage. According to the current water using condition of the Yellow River irrigation districts, this paper has put forward the concept of “water saving potential” and the corresponding analyzing and calculating method, and then analyzed  water saving potential of the large-scale gravity irrigation districts in the Yellow River.

Key words: water saving potential, irrigation scheduling, furrow and border rehabilitation, water transport system, Yellow River gravity irrigation districts