Abstract
Combining the measurement of urban and rural areas to link water and poverty provides a new insight into the fields of water resources management and poverty alleviation. Owing to rapid urban development, water resource conflicts between urban and rural areas are gettingbecoming more intensified and more complex. This study details the application of a water poverty index (WPI) using 26 indicators to evaluate urban and rural water poverty in northwest China during the period 2000–2017. This study also analyzes temporal variations of urban and rural water poverty by the kernel density estimation (KDE). We found that the level of water poverty is gradually declining over time and the improvements in urban and rural areas are not harmonious. Additionally, it applies the synergic theory to analyze the relationships between urban and rural water poverty. The correspondence analysis between urban and rural water poverty is significant because of the synergic level results. The results show that there are four primary types in northwest China: synchronous areas, urban-priority areas, rural-priority areas, and conflict areas, and their evolution stages. The results suggest the need for location-specific policy interventions. Furthermore, we put forward corresponding countermeasures. The research findings also provide a theoretical foundation for the evaluation of urban and rural water poverty, and a regional strategy to relieve conflict between urban and rural water poverty.
Highlights
Availability of water is the primary contributor to a country or region’s economic growth, and is a major constraint to the development of all countries with low water access, especially those located in arid and semiarid areas [1]
Improper planning and management can mean that an activity will be unregulated, and can lead to a range of negative social, economic and environmental impacts [6]
The methodology of this study is based on the water poverty index (WPI) model [9,10,24], which evaluates evaluates the extent of water shortage through five components: Resources, Access, Capacity, Use, the extent of water shortage through five components: Resources, Access, Capacity, Use, and the and the Environment, as follows: Environment, as follows: (1)
Summary
Availability of water is the primary contributor to a country or region’s economic growth, and is a major constraint to the development of all countries with low water access, especially those located in arid and semiarid areas [1]. There is a strong understanding that water is one of the most stressed resources, and it is playing an increasingly important role in poverty alleviation and economic development in the world [2]. Water shortage is both a cause and a consequence of poverty [3]. The low or lack of access to safe water which results directly or indirectly results in decreasing human productivity and living quality [7]
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