Assessment and Influencing Factors of Water Supply Capacity and Water Resource Utilization Efficiency in Southwest China

Abstract

China has been facing serious water scarcity, and improving the supply and utilization of water resources from the perspective of resource endowment, economic development and water infrastructure is of great significance toward sustainable water development. In this work, two index systems for evaluating the water supply capacity (WSC) and the water infrastructure construction level (WICL) were constructed; the water resource utilization efficiency (WRUE) was measured by applying a super slack-based measure model; the ordinary least squares and geographically weighted regression models were used to explore the heterogeneity of spatial relationships. The results showed that both WSC (0.15~0.67) and WRUE (0.25~1.18) had spatial heterogeneity. WSC was positively correlated with water resource accessibility and GDP per capita (R2 = 0.406, p < 0.01), which represented water resource endowment and economic development, respectively. WRUE was positively correlated with GDP per capita but was negatively correlated with accessibility (R2 = 0.654, p < 0.01). The relationship of WICL with accessibility and GDP per capita varied over the study’s area. We found that the WSC in the southeast, WRUE in the north and WICL in the south were mainly associated with water resource endowments. The WSC in the north, WRUE in the southwest and WICL in the north were mainly associated with the economic development level. Noteworthily, strengthening the construction of water conservancy is one of the effective ways to improve water supply. Suggestions on improving WSC and WRUE were provided based on different accessibility and economic conditions, to promote the sustainable development of water resources.

Surface Water Resource Accessibility Assessment of Rural Settlements in the Yellow River Basin

“…With the development of infrastructure and the improvement of the tap water supply network, some rural residents gradually give up the water in natural rivers [27]. Then, rivers gradually lose their original functions [28].…”

Spatial network and influencing factors of green water use efficiency in the YREB: considering carbon emissions and pollution indicators

“…Chongqing, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces is 0, which means that there is no spatial effect of green water use efficiency in these two administrative regions at the two ends of the YREB, the positive effect generated by the region with high governance efficiency is difficult to flow into the neighboring region with lower governance efficiency through the total factor; at the same time, it is difficult for the region with negative effect generated by the low governance efficiency to flow into the region with higher governance efficiency through the absorbing relationship. Geographical location determines the spatial transmission capacity of green water utilization efficiency (Bao et al, 2023); the overall spatial correlation capacity of green water use efficiency in the YREB has been improved in the period of 2000-2018, but there is still a tension between economic development and environmental protection. Improving the green water use efficiency can, on the one hand, improve water pollution treatment and carbon reduction through innovative technology and optimization of industrial structure; on the other hand, it can accelerate the total amount of circulating pollution transfer by absorbing the positive effect of governance in the surrounding areas, so as to improve the environment of the region.…”

Stability analysis of rock slopes containing faults during excavation using microseismic monitoring and numerical simulation

“…The implementation of the China Western Development strategy has spurred robust development of hydropower resources in China, which are cleaner than traditional alternatives [1][2][3]. China is abundantly endowed with water resources, boasting the world's highest theoretical hydroelectric potential of 690 million kW, with a technically exploitable capacity of 570 million kW, primarily concentrated in the southwest region [4][5][6]. Due to the influence of topography, landforms, and tectonic activity, the construction of hydropower stations encounters substantial difficulties.…”