Analysis of the Coupling Relationship between Water Quality and Economic Development in Hongjiannao Basin, China

Abstract

Hongjiannao is the largest inland lake in China’s deserts. In recent years, the water quality and area of the Hongjiannao Lake have continued to decline, which is closely associated with the economic development in the Hongjiannao basin. To explore the coupling relationship between the water quality and economic development in the Hongjiannao basin, the water quality and economic development index of the basin has been analyzed in terms of the monthly water quality and socio-economic development from 2013 to 2020. The coupling relationship and interaction mechanism between water quality and regional economic development has been studied by coupling coordination degree model. The results show that the water pollution increased and then decreased with the seasons, while the water quality was the worst in the summer. The coordinated degree between the water quality and economic development in Hongjiannao shows an upward trend from 2013 to 2020, which has transformed from the process of lagging economic development to the process of primary coordination, finally to the process of lagging water environment. The coupling relationship between water quality and economic development changed from a state of nearly un-coordination to primary coordination from 2013 to 2016, with economic development lagging behind. The coupling relationship between the two systems changed from barely coordinated to the primary coordinated from 2017 to 2018, with the rapid development of economy and slight decline in water quality. After 2018, those two systems gradually stepped into a virtuous cycle during 2019–2020, but the phenomenon of lagging water quality still existed. Therefore, in order to maintain the stable economic development of resource-based cities, it is necessary to keep improving the current situation of water environment and water shortage in Hongjiannao, which will promote the coordinated and sustainable development of water environment and economy.