Integrated water resource security evaluation of Beijing based on GRA and TOPSIS

Abstract

Security evaluation has become a hot topic in the research field of water resource management. In this paper, we established a novel water resource security indicator system based on the Pressure-Status-Response (PSR) framework using gray relation analysis (GRA) and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). A case study of Beijing from 1996 to 2007 was conducted to verify the evaluation system. Results showed that the gray relative closeness degrees of water resource security to the positive ideal solution were low, with the least one of 0.360 in 1999 and the largest one of 0.527 in 2007, implying that Beijing was facing severer challenges with water resources during the concerned time. Also, the analysis of water resource security indicated that the pressure of water resource was constantly increasing. Finally, factor analysis was employed to calculate the gray relation degrees of evaluating indices with the ideal solutions so as to reveal the relativity of water resource security of Beijing, which may contribute to a better understanding of the urban water resource management and regulation.