Assessment on water cycle health in the Central Plains Urban cluster based on the DSWU NWU SWS NWS A — WCHI model

Abstract

The health status of the water cycle has a significant impact on the sustainable development of a region. As a densely populated urban cluster, the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration plays an important role in promoting the sustainable development of China urban agglomerations. It is of great significance to optimize the water cycle health of the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration and explore its main barriers. In this article, we propose a conceptual model called DSWUNWUSWSNWSA (“Driving force—Social development uses water—Natural development uses water—Situation of social water resources—Situation of natural water resources—Ameliorate”) and establish an assessment system for the water cycle health of the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration. By combining the FAHP and ICV, we use linear programming to obtain comprehensive weight values that combine subjective and objective factors. Based on this, in order to quantify the degree of WCH, we introduce the Water Cycle Health Index (WCHI) and evaluate the water cycle health of the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration from 2002 to 2022, taking into account the randomness and fuzziness of water cycle health. By introducing an obstacle degree model, we identify the main barriers to water cycle health in the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration in 2022. The results show that the proposed method for evaluating the WCH based on DSWUNWUSWSNWSA — WCHI is feasible. According to the evaluation results, the WCH of most cities in the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration is trending towards “Very healthy,” with a gradual increase in WCHI, and the gap between cities is gradually narrowing. The analysis of barrier factors shows the eight main influencing factors affecting the water cycle health of the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration. The research findings of this article can provide theoretical basis for water resource evaluation, indicator construction, and policy guidance in densely populated urban clusters worldwide.