Rubicon Water entered the Chinese irrigation market this week with the installation of its first FlumeGates™ in the Yellow River basin as part of a trial of Total Channel Control® - Rubicon's end-to-end solution for modernising open canal irrigation systems.

The installation in the Qingtongxia irrigation district of the Ningxia province, along with a second installation to follow in the Yangtze River basin, will revolutionize irrigation practices in the areas, while showcasing Rubicon's irrigation network modernisation technology in a new market.

In terms of scale, there are currently about 10,000 water regulator gates in Victoria's Goulburn-Murray Irrigation District - one of the largest irrigation districts in Australia - whereas there are approximately one million regulator gates in China. Like Australia, China is facing the increasingly serious challenge of water scarcity in many regions and is looking for ways to increase the efficiency of irrigation practices.

Farmers in the Qingtongxia irrigation district currently irrigate on a roster basis, receiving their schedule up to 12 months in advance, with no choice but to take water in accordance with the predetermined schedule. With the system now operational, Total Channel Control's® accurate measurement and control capabilities will not only provide irrigators with near on-demand water delivery and high flows, but also provide precise location of leakage and seepage losses.

The expectation is that the new system will facilitate, over time, a change in the type and value of agricultural production as well as freeing up valuable water resources for new applications.

The project is being overseen by Luke Wen, Rubicon's recently appointed General Manager, China.