Evaluating Water Resource Accessibility in Southwest China

Abstract

The accessibility, quantity, and quality of water resources are the basic requirements for guaranteeing water resource security. Research into regional water resource accessibility will contribute to improving regional water resource security and effective water resource management. In this study, we used a water resource accessibility index model considering five spatial factors to evaluate the grid-scale water resource accessibility and constructed the spatial pattern of water resource accessibility in Southwest China. Then, we analyzed the coupling coordination degree between county-level water resource accessibility and eco-socio-economic water demand elements. The water resource accessibility showed obvious regional differences, and the overall trend gradually decreased from Southeast to Northwest. The coupling coordination degree between county-level water resource accessibility and eco-socio-economic water demand elements was between 0.26 and 0.84, and was relatively low overall, whereas the counties (districts) with high coordination, moderate coordination, low coordination, reluctant coordination, and incoordination accounted for 0.92%, 5.31%, 21.06%, 59.71%, and 13.00% of total counties (districts), respectively. Therefore, the Southwest region needs to further strengthen the construction of its agricultural irrigation facilities, protect the water resources, and coordinate the relationship between water resource management and water demand elements to comprehensively guarantee regional sustainable development.

A scenario analysis-based optimal management of water resources supply and demand balance: A case study of Chengdu, China

“…For example, Mirdashtvan et al [ 13 ] only adopted adaptation scenarios to investigate the sustainable water supply and demand schemes. Li et al [ 52 ] constructed a water resource accessibility index model considering five spatial factors to evaluate the water resource accessibility in Southwest China. Wang et al [ 53 ] established a system dynamics model for the sustainable use of water resources in Chengde City, which involves the interaction among industrial, agricultural, and domestic water, but its scenario designs are limited on status quo type of simulated conditions.…”

“…However, the water cycle simulation in this study still has some shortcomings. First, the water supply and demand simulation only considered the surface water, groundwater, and reclaimed water and ignored the climatic factors and water quality conditions [ 52 ]. Thus, in future research, the climate scenarios for water supply and water quality requirements for water demand should be integrated into water resource management simulation.…”

An Integrative Framework to Control Nutrient Loss: Insights from Two Hilly Basins in China’s Yangtze River Delta

“…The environmentally sensitive hilly basins surrounding Tianmu Lake and Qiandao Lake in the YRD differ greatly in expanse and in the extent to which they are influenced by political boundaries, but they face a common set of challenges that are being faced by similar basins elsewhere [6][7][8][9][10]133], including those in areas that have transitioned from rural to urban [134,135]. Consideration of the two case studies from the YRD and the resulting framework for the control of nutrient pollution in basins with similar characteristics allows three main conclusions to be drawn.…”

“…Although serious environmental damage due to water pollution in populated, usually low-lying regions of the world is well documented [1][2][3][4][5][6], concern about this issue is now shifting to hilly watersheds, many of which serve as headwaters for downstream population centers. Human disturbance in these areas is intensifying, and pollution due to nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus is increasing [7][8][9][10]. The sources, transport, and retention of nutrients in these watersheds are tightly coupled with various human activities, a fact that renders narrow measures to control pollution ineffective [11][12][13][14].…”

Distribution characteristics and influencing factors of water resources in Henan Province

“…Water is an important raw material for industrial and agricultural production, is a valuable natural resource needed for human survival, and is closely related to the ecological cycle and human economic activities. Water resource shortages are not only a serious problem in the world but also an important factor related to a country's national livelihood and sustainable economic development (Li et al 2019;Zuo et al 2020). It is necessary to study the spatial and temporal distributions of water resources, but there is almost no relevant research in Henan Province.…”