Abstract
A sustainability assessment of water resources is essential for maintaining regional sustainable development. In this study, a comprehensive assessment of changes in the sustainability of the water resource system in Beijing from 2008 to 2018 was conducted on the basis of the driver-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) model. To reflect the impacts of humans on the water consumption and pollution of water resources, the water footprint was considered. In addition, key factors that affect the sustainability of water resources were filtered by the modified entropy method. The results indicated that all drivers, pressures, states, impacts, and responses demonstrated increasing tendencies. As a result, a remarkable improvement in the sustainability of the water system, which was mitigated from an alert state to a good state, was achieved due to the comprehensive effect of the indexes. From these results, we inferred that the sustainability of regional water resources could only be achieved through a comprehensive consideration of regional social, economic, and environmental water systems and climate change. Therefore, formulating medium- and long-term urban, economic, and water development plans and adjusting medium- and short-term water utilization programs could contribute to the sustainable utilization of regional water resources.
Highlights
Water resources are key ecosystem components that sustain life and all social and economic processes
A three-layer indicator system was established to evaluate the sustainability of water resources based on the DPSIR
In accordance with the indicators and indexes, a comprehensive assessment of the sustainability of the water resource system in the city of Beijing was conducted based on the modified entropy method
Summary
Water resources are key ecosystem components that sustain life and all social and economic processes. Water resource scarcity is an important global issue in the 21st century [1,2,3,4]. Along with the global trends of fast population growth, rapid urbanization, and climate change, it is becoming increasingly difficult to provide a sufficient supply of water with high quality to meet urban demand [5,6,7]. China is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world [8]. The imbalance between the supply and demand of water resources has threatened the sustainable development of many cities in Northern China, especially Beijing [9,10]. A synthesis of the grim situation clearly indicates that there is an urgent need to measure and maintain the sustainability of water resource systems in Beijing
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