Effects of urbanisation on regional water consumption in China

Abstract

Water shortages are becoming increasingly serious around the world. The concept of the water footprint provides a new method for evaluating the consumption of regional water resources. We evaluated the spatial variation in the level of urbanisation for provinces in China and analysed the influences of urbanisation on regional water footprints from the perspectives of both production and consumption. Our results indicated that (1) the urbanisation evaluation score was highest for Guangdong (0.759) and lowest for Tibet (0.071), and the values were 0.424, 0.270 and 0.179 for eastern, central and western China, respectively; (2) the water footprint of production was largest for Xinjiang (35.55 × 109 m3), the water footprint of consumption was largest for Shandong (8.03 × 109 m3), and the agricultural sector consumed the most water in >80% of the provinces; and (3) most urbanisation indicators were significantly correlated with the water footprints, and the impacts of urbanisation indices on specific sectors’ water footprints were different. The urbanisation development in China could be influenced by natural resources, population, industrial structure, policy, etc. To achieve a relative balance development, the focus of local government should be specific. Considering the significant role of the agricultural sector in regional water consumption, measures such as planting new water-saving varieties and using advanced irrigation technologies could be adapted. The level of urbanisation will likely increase in the future, so more water resources will be needed for production and consumption. Measures such as improving water use efficiency, controlling land expansion and adjusting industrial structure should be taken. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the effects of urbanisation on regional water consumption and will contribute to the development of better practices for managing water resources.