Evaluation of Water Resources Utilization Efficiency in Guangdong Province Based on the DEA–Malmquist Model

Lifen Cheng,Yufeng Xie,Song Song

doi:10.3389/fenvs.2022.819693

Abstract

In this study, we examined the temporal and spatial trends of water utilization efficiency in the highly developed Guangdong Province based on a data envelopment analysis (DEA) model and Malmquist index, trying to evaluate and predict the water utilization status in prefecture-level cities from the input–output perspective. The results showed that the water utilization efficiency in Guangdong Province in 2012–2018 was on a fluctuating upward trend, although the utilization efficiency had not reached the DEA efficiency; spatially, the water utilization efficiency in Guangdong Province was relatively high in the Pearl River Delta and the surrounding cities, but low in the Western Guangdong region; in the perspective of efficiency decomposition factors, technological change was the most pervasive driving force of the water utilization efficiency. Pearl River Delta and Northern Guangdong made progress in productivity due to the advantages of scale expansion benefit. Eastern Guangdong achieved improvement in all-over parameters and made the largest growth in water utilization efficiency, while Western Guangdong basically profited from organizational management during the study period; the prediction analysis revealed a continuous increase in the water utilization efficiency in Guangdong Province during 2019–2025 with an average annual growth rate of about 0.6%, benefiting mainly from the technological innovation and secondly from management renewal, while scale expansion benefit tended to decline. Furthermore, spatial heterogeneity exhibited a decreasing tendency in the future owing to the rapid water utilization efficiency increase in the Western and Eastern Guangdong. It is suggested that the technological innovation and the integrated management capability in water use should be paid more attention to enhance the water utilization efficiency in Guangdong Province. Achieving a balance between economic growth and water resource protection, and promoting the sustainable development of the nature-economy-society compound system is of the utmost priority in Guangdong.

Highlights

Water is the fundamental resource for the living organism, and the indispensable ingredient of animate and non-animate systems on earth
Improving water utilization efficiency (WUE) is conducive to the sustainable development of the economic–social–ecological system on a regional and global scale
We evaluate and predict the water utilization efficiency (WUE) in Guangdong Province based on the data envelopment analysis (DEA)–Malmquist model

Summary

Introduction

Water is the fundamental resource for the living organism, and the indispensable ingredient of animate and non-animate systems on earth. Water resources serve as the basic element to the national social-economic production, and at the same time support the healthy evolution and beneficent circulation of ecological processes. Unreasonable water use will inevitably bring restrictions on ecosystem health, socioeconomic development, and even human survival. Water shortage has become a bottleneck problem restricting economic development and influencing the population’s livelihood in China and the world (Chen et al, 2020). Considering the integrated impact of climate change, population growth, and industrialization, the conflict between water demand and supply will be more acute, especially in the highly developed regions

Methods

Results

Conclusion