Influencing Indicators and Quantitative Assessment of Water Resources Security in Karst Region Based on PSER Model—The Case of Guizhou

Zhou Zhou,Zhang Zhang,Su Su

doi:10.3390/su11205671

Abstract

An important basis to achieve a sustainable balance between water availability and demand is effectively identifying the factors affecting water resource security and evaluating the effectiveness of existing water resource management measures. To reasonably evaluate water resource security in Guizhou Province, this study combined the water resource security features, selected the indicator system based on the Press–Status–Effect–Response (PSER) framework, and used Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and grey correlation analysis for the province from 2001 to 2015. This allowed us to identify the main driving factors affecting water resource security. The results showed that: (1) Water resource security in Guizhou Province showed an overall trend of improvement from 2001 to 2015 and reached a maximum index of 0.57 in 2015. This amelioration in water security was mainly due to the continuous improvement of the response and effect subgroup as a result of improvements in its existing subgroup factors (policies), such as water consumption per unit of gross domestic product (GDP), the proportion of water conservancy investment, and the proportion of the tertiary industry. Increased water stress due to rapid economic development, such as water supply for the reservoir, and the instability of the status subgroup, were the main factors negatively affecting water resource security. (2) Reduction of water consumption per USD of industrial value added, the control force of water and soil erosion being strengthened, and investment in water resources being increased, are the key factors for achieving water resource security in Guizhou during this period of rapid social and economic development. This indicates that the existing water resource management measures have been improving water resource security. The management measures need to be further improved in the future to protect water resource.

Highlights

Water is a basic resource, essential for the stability of ecological environment and the stable development of the social economy [1,2]
The PSER model was used because it includes four subgroups—pressure, status, effect, and response—from which the corresponding index system which can cover regional resources, the ecology, socioeconomic data, and other characteristics is constructed. This was combined with the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) [31] and the grey relational comprehensive model to evaluate water resource security changes in Guizhou Province from 2001 to 2015 and to clarify the main influencing factors
This study based on the PSER conceptual model, applied the entropy weight and TOPSIS-grey correlation model to evaluate water resource security in Guizhou Province from 2001 to 2015

Summary

Introduction

Water is a basic resource, essential for the stability of ecological environment and the stable development of the social economy [1,2]. With the rapid development of human society and the economy, and the rapid growth of population, water resource security issues, such as rapid increases in the demand for water resources, and shortages and pollution of water resources, have become increasingly prominent and a global focus [3]. In the study of water security, water resource security is the most important theme [4]. Water resource security assessment is the key content of water resource security research. Water scarcity often arises from deep-seated socioeconomic issues such as food security [13]. Water resource security assessment as the foundation of water resource management has become the focus of over the world research

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion