A study on the economic loss estimation of industrial wastewater pollution discharges in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study focuses on the industrial wastewater discharge of 27 cities in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration. It selects five water pollutant indicators from industrial wastewater discharge, including chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), petroleum pollutants (PP), and major heavy metal content (HM). A shadow price model for industrial wastewater discharge pollutants in each city of the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration is constructed, and empirical research is conducted using government-provided statistical data. The study reveals that the economic losses associated with industrial wastewater discharge in the 27 cities of the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration range from 5.9296 billion to 6.448 billion yuan. Shanghai demonstrates the highest economic losses caused by industrial wastewater discharge, surpassing 0.45 billion yuan annually. In contrast, Anqing city experiences the lowest economic losses, approximately ranging from 93 million to 104 million yuan per year due to industrial wastewater discharge.