Intergenerational equity based optimal water allocation for sustainable development: A case study on the upper reaches of Minjiang River, China

Abstract

For both physical and economic reasons, water scarcity has become a worldwide concern. To meet regional water demands and improve water resource optimization management, a multi-objective water resource allocation model was developed for a sustainable future, in which equity, efficiency, and sustainability were taken as the allocation principles to equitably maximize subarea economic and social welfare and coordinate social development and water management without compromising water ecosystem sustainability. To meet the water resource needs of both present and future generations, intra- and intergenerational equities were integrated using a Gini coefficient and a modified Bentham-Rawls criterion to allow for time and space social equity trade-offs for sustainable water allocation. To coordinate social development and water management for water sustainability, mean economic benefit efficiency was considered in the multi-objective water resource allocation model. By factoring in the competition between present and future generations, the ecological water requirements, and the fuzzy random water resource parameters, the optimal strategy better depicts a pattern of water inter-temporal configuration than current strategies. A case study from the upper reaches of the Minjiang River basin in China is given to demonstrate the practicality and rationality of the proposed model. Compared with previous models, the intergenerational allocation model was found to effectively consider sustainable water resource utilization, had a higher total social welfare value, and guaranteed equitable intra-generational water allocation. Based on the results and discussion, some management recommendations for water resource allocation strategies integrated intergenerational equity, and policy support are given.