Many rivers and ponds in rural areas, after years of use, may experience elevated riverbed. This is because there is too much sediment at the bottom of the river, which directly leads to a smaller water area and less irrigated farmland. At this time, dredging is necessary. The commonly used equipment for dredging currently includes excavators and mud pumps.
When dredging a pond, the water in the pond should be pumped out to a nearby paddy field for accumulation. Then, the accumulated water should be pumped out with a high-pressure water gun to impact the sediment at the bottom of the pond, turning it into a liquid state. Then, the sediment should be pumped out to the paddy field through a mud pump, with a pumping distance of approximately 500 meters. This is the simple principle of mud pump operation.
Excavators are also used for dredging. When using an excavator to clear silt, the water in the pond is first drained and the pond water needs to be dried and dried for a period of time before excavation can be carried out. This method is easily affected by the weather, while the mud pump work is not affected by the weather. It can be carried out while draining water, which is very compact. It only requires a power supply and two or three people to complete the dredging work, and is not affected by the terrain. It can also be used in mountainous and hilly areas. However, excavators are not suitable for mountainous and hilly operations because this type of mechanical equipment is relatively large and the roads in mountainous and hilly areas are narrow, making it difficult for excavators to enter. If the water surface of the pond that needs to be cleared is relatively small, excavators cannot perform operations. Furthermore, compared to using a mud pump for dredging, the cost of using an excavator for long-distance transportation of soil is significantly higher than that of using a mud pump.