Ecological water rights and water-resource exploitation in the three headwaters of the Tarim River

Abstract

Ecological water rights have become an important issue confronted in arid areas. The establishment of ecological rights is the basis to ensure sustainable water management in a regional environment and is especially important as a guarantee to restore the fragile environment in arid and semi-arid areas. This paper analyzed in detail the current situation of water-resource exploitation and the proportion of different types of water use in the three headwaters of the Tarim River. The results indicate that farmland irrigation consumes the most water, and the proportions of the water consumption accounted for by farmland irrigation in the Aksu River Basin, Yarkand River Basin, and Hotan River Basin are 73%, 84.4%, and 59.4%, respectively. Industrial, urban public, living, and ecological water use together account for less than 6% of the total water consumption in the three headwaters. In particular, the ecological water use in the Aksu River Basin is almost all accounted for by other water uses. Analysis of the water supply and demand change in the basin in 2002–2007 indicated that the total water resource is decreasing, while the water consumption is constantly increasing, which means that the situation of water deficiency in the Tarim River Basin is getting worse and will inevitably result in a conflict between water supply and demand. Further calculation and comparison of ecological water use and ecological water demand demonstrated that the total water deficiency in the three headwaters of the Tarim River reaches 27.221 × 108 m3, and the most serious water deficiency for natural vegetation occurs in the Aksu River Basin. It is extremely urgent to establish an ecological water-rights system, and this research is an important foundation for the establishment of such a system.