Prior to retrocession, the county was characterized by vast land and a sparse population. The majority of inhabitants were indigenous peoples, with a small number of lowland residents and Japanese settlers. Most made their living through agriculture. Regarding water infrastructure, there were over 90 irrigation channels of various sizes, including the Beinan, Zhiben, and Lilong canals, which irrigated approximately 3,500 hectares of farmland.
The Irrigation Cooperatives of that time, equivalent to today’s Irrigation Agency, consisted of four organizations: Beinan, Zhiben, Lilong, and Xinkaiyuan. Their annual revenue and expenditures were maintained with minimal budgets. Among these, the more significant Beinan Canal was located in Taitung and Beinan townships. Before the establishment of irrigation facilities in this area, the land was barren and farmers were impoverished. To increase production and improve farmers' livelihoods, the Beinan Canal was initially created in 1925. Subsequently, in January of 1905, local residents jointly petitioned for its expansion. The Japanese government at the time subsidized 13,000 yen for the engineering costs, with the remainder covered by labor from the public. Construction began in November of the same year and was completed in February of 1907, after more than a year of work, marking the beginning of the Beinan Canal's establishment.
At that time, farms were unable to fully utilize water resources efficiently due to a lack of knowledge about water management. Additionally, the insufficient engineering subsidies resulted in the construction of only a rudimentary canal, leading to an inadequate water supply. The canal, which was soft with a high content of sand and gravel, was originally designed to irrigate over 2,000 hectares but could only irrigate about 600 hectares, and only for a single crop season. The remaining large areas of good land could not fulfill their productive potential. In 1918, partial renovations were made, but with little benefit. It wasn’t until 1933 that the Japanese government again raised funds to renovate various structures. This work took three years, and by 1936, more substantial facilities were completed, increasing the irrigated area to over 1,800 hectares.
After Taiwan's restoration, rice became the main agricultural product. Since rice cultivation depends heavily on proper irrigation, the government made irrigation projects a top priority. In addition to supporting rice farming, efforts also expanded to dry farming, land improvement, and hillside development—all of which required reliable irrigation to boost productivity. During World War II, natural disasters and wartime damage severely impacted irrigation facilities. In the aftermath, the government gradually repaired these facilities, which had lost their effectiveness. Over time, the irrigated areas steadily expanded, now covering more than 14,000 hectares. From the beginning of retrocession, the government actively supervised irrigation associations in restoring irrigation facilities and subsequently focused on implementing improvement and new construction projects. To date, significant achievements have been made in this field.