Recently, the roar of machinery broke the silence at the foot of the Helan Mountains, and the construction site of Section V of the Helan Mountain Eastern Foothill Flood Control Project has already become busy. The north and south flood diversion dikes of the Dayaogou flood diversion and discharge project have been completed; water trucks shuttle back and forth, busy with project maintenance; excavators swing their long arms, digging soil and leveling pits; and the builders are laying gravel around the dikes of the Xiaoyaogou flood diversion and discharge channel. Section V of the Ningxia Helan Mountain Eastern Foothill Flood Control Project has a total investment of 24.149 million yuan. As an important component of safeguarding the safety of Yongning County, the project has entered the final "sprint stage" of construction.

"The project is right at the foot of the Helan Mountains, and the schedule was tight to begin with. The main flood season is approaching, and if we encounter rainy days, our time will be even tighter. To overcome difficulties such as a tight schedule, heavy tasks, and long lines with many scattered work points, we have entered a 'round-the-clock' mode," said Wang Ping, technical director of the project at Ningxia Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering Bureau Co.

To ensure the project is completed on schedule, Ningxia Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering Bureau Co. has reversed the construction schedule, carried out work against a wall chart, worked overtime, and made every effort to advance the project progress. In addition to the "online + offline" management model, based on the construction environment and characteristics of the project, emergency plans have been formulated in advance, weather changes are closely monitored, emergency rescue points have been set up, and the duty and on-call work of all participating units has been strengthened and standardized, so as to win more time for project construction.

Up to now, the Xiaoyaogou flood diversion and discharge project has been completed 98%, the Dayaogou flood diversion and discharge project 67%, and the Xinqiao drainage channel improvement project 98%, with overall construction progress at about 72%. All construction content is planned to be completed by the end of May, ensuring that Section V of the Ningxia Helan Mountain Eastern Foothill Flood Control Project is put into operation on schedule and delivers benefits, so that the Helan Mountain Nature Reserve and the 22,600-mu grape base within Yongning County are protected from the threat of mountain floods.

It is understood that the Ningxia Helan Mountain Eastern Foothill Flood Control Project is one of the 20 major projects determined by the 13th Party Congress of the Autonomous Region, one of the 60 major water conservancy projects that the Ministry of Water Resources focused on advancing and starting construction in 2023, and also a major foundational, strategic livelihood, ecological, and development project in Ningxia. The construction of the project is of great significance for improving the regional flood control and disaster reduction system in the eastern foothill area of the Helan Mountains, promoting the resource utilization of floodwater, protecting the safety of people's lives and property, and building the pilot zone for ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin.