Surface water deficiency zoning of China based on surface water deficit index (SWDI)

Abstract

China’s economic and social development is severely restricted by regional water deficiency, and the determination of water deficiency level in different regions is an important basis of water resource management. In this study, we zoned 32 provinces of China into five surface water deficiency levels based on surface water deficit index derived from the Chinese meteorological satellite FY-2C images. The result shows that China is facing serious water shortage crisis with only 15.44% of total area without water deficiency, which is located in the south and southeast coast. More than 60% of total area of China suffered from severe or extremely water deficiency, which are mainly distributed in western and northern regions. Jingjinji area (namely Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province), which is a special region with high amount of gross domestic product and relative abundant water resources, is suffering from severe water deficiency. It revealed that water resources were interacted with regional development and water management should consider local conditions. To Jingjinji area, water management should focus on adjustment of industrial structure, urban expansion control and scientific water resources allocation. In general, the surface water deficit index based water deficiency zoning will be of significant value to be applied in water resources management at regional scales.