Water Resources Management Policies Research Articles

Erosion in the coastal areas of the Vietnamese Mekong Delta: Current challenges and solutions

Coastal erosion is one of the types of geological disasters that is occurring quite commonly and seriously in the Mekong Delta. The problem of landslides and erosions is one of the major concerns for coastal stability. Currently, along 9 coastal provinces, there are over 115 serious erosion and landslide points; each year, a total of 300 –500 hectares of coastal land can be lost. Erosion and landslides narrow the area of mangrove forests, residential land, and aquaculture land of local people. The Mekong Delta has to spend billions of VND yearly to build breakwaters and sea dikes and restore mangrove forests. Many structural and non-structural measures have been implemented to reduce the risk of erosion over the past two decades. However, there is not much assessment of the sustainability of landslide prevention projects. The research question is what are the challenges and difficulties in the ongoing fight against erosion in the coastal plain. Through a practical approach from surveying works in coastal areas, the results show that choosing an effective solution depends mainly on the cost factor and the terrain of the ground. Water resource management policy on the Mekong River system is difficult to find a satisfactory answer.

Research on economic growth in smart cities based on wireless sensor networks

With the acceleration of urbanization, the concept of smart city is rising gradually. Wireless sensor network as an important technical support of smart city, its application in environmental monitoring and water resources management has a profound impact on economic growth. Water resource is one of the most dependent resources for human beings. With the growth of world population and the rapid development of economy, water resource crisis is constant, water pollution, water shortage and water waste coexist. How to build a perfect water resource economic policy is a worldwide problem at present. At present, the formulation of water resources policies is often based on experience or the knowledge system of decision makers. Due to the dynamic nature of water resources utilization and the incomplete information of decision makers, there are often policy failures, which affect economic growth. Based on this, this paper uses system dynamics model to study the mechanism of water resources management policies affecting economic growth by taking Gansu, Tianjin and Zhejiang as three qualitatively representative arid areas, transitional areas and water-rich areas. The research results show that under the same water resources policy coupling, different regions also have different eco-economic effects. The effect of coupled water resources policy is better than that of single water resources management policy.

Spatiotemporal Analysis of Drought Characteristics and Their Impact on Vegetation and Crop Production in Rwanda

In recent years, Rwanda, especially its Eastern Province, has been contending with water shortages, primarily due to prolonged dry spells and restricted water sources. This situation poses a substantial threat to the country’s agriculture-based economy and food security. The impact may escalate with climate change, exacerbating the frequency and severity of droughts. However, there is a lack of comprehensive spatiotemporal analysis of meteorological and agricultural droughts, which is an urgent need for a nationwide assessment of the drought’s impact on vegetation and agriculture. Therefore, the study aimed to identify meteorological and agricultural droughts by employing the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) and the Vegetation Health Index (VHI). VHI comprises the Vegetation Condition Index (VCI) and the Temperature Condition Index (TCI), both derived from the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Land Surface Temperature (LST). This study analyzed data from 31 meteorological stations spanning from 1983 to 2020, as well as remote sensing indices from 2001 to 2020, to assess the spatiotemporal patterns, characteristics, and adverse impact of droughts on vegetation and agriculture. The results showed that the years 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 were the most prolonged and severe for both meteorological and agricultural droughts, especially in the Southern Province and Eastern Province. These extremely dry conditions led to a decline in both vegetation and crop production in the country. It is recommended that policymakers engage in proactive drought mitigation activities, address climate change, and enforce water resource management policies in Rwanda. These actions are crucial to decreasing the risk of drought and its negative impact on both vegetation and crop production in Rwanda.

Understanding Water Governance in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia: Governance Framework, Coherence and Practices.

Water governance demands multi-sector participation beyond the state; and, appropriate laws, policies, regulations, and institutions need to be developed and put in place for sustainable use of water resources. A good water policy, a critical and integral instrument of water governance, guides water use schemes and ensures equitable water distribution among users. The Ethiopian Central Rift Valley (CRV) is rich in water resources, but these water resources are currently under severe strain owing to an imbalance in human-water interactions. This study examined the state of water resources governance framework, policy coherence, actors' engagement and transparency, accountability, and participation in irrigation water supply in the CRV of Ethiopia. Key informant interviews (KII), focused group discussions, and document reviews were used to gather data for the study. The NVivo 11 program was used to organize, code, and analyze the data. The results revealed that water resources governance practices such as water allocation and apportionment, water resources protection, and conservation activities were inappropriately exercised. Water resources management policy mechanisms were not fully put in place. Lack of coherence in water policy implementation, absence of clear roles and responsibilities of stakeholders, absence of transparency and accountability in irrigation water service delivery, and lack of meaningful participation of key actors in water governance decision-making were observed. As a result, over-abstraction, deterioration of buffer zone areas, and chemical erosion from surrounding farming are attributed to the reduction in water volume and quality in the CRV. These challenges have influenced aquatic ecosystem services and threaten the livelihoods of the surrounding communities. Hence, reforms relating to policy coherence and enforcement, stakeholder engagement, water distribution strategies, and the implementation of water governance principles must be given adequate emphasis.

POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF INTEGRATED URBAN WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (IUWRM) IN SEMARANG CITY INDONESIA

Purpose: This study aims to find out the aspects of politics and economics of integrated urban water resources management in Semarang City and their impact on the practices of qualities of water resources management. Methods: This research used the qualitative method and field research approach. The focus data are the regulation and the implementation of water resources management in Semarang City Indonesia. The data was drawn from documents and interview with some resource persons. Results and Conclusion: The study found that the city government, which should carry out the function of conserving water resources, actually polluted the Kaligarang River through one of its institutions: Local Water Drinking Company, “Tirta Moedal”. This company disposes of waste sludge containing aluminum metal directly into the river without any treatment processes that impacted in pollution in the river and causing siltation of the river downstream. Research implications: the enactment of the comprehensive and integrated water resources management will has a positive impact on the practices of water resources management in Semarang specifically and Indonesia and even world countries generally. The implementation of comprehensive and integrated water resources management will also support the achievement of the sustainable development Goal. Originality/value: Semarang City government must be supported to arrange a comprehensive and integrated water resources management (WRM) policy. There must be a clear legal law for the water resources management.

A system dynamics approach to management of water resources in Qatar

Rapid global population growth and extensive urbanization threaten water sustainability, hindering sustainable development. This issue is particularly acute in arid regions such as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), where the scarce natural water resources are overexploited. Effective water resource management (WRM) is pivotal in overcoming this challenge. This holistic study presents an innovative approach to address water sustainability at a national scale by developing a WRM decision support system (DSS) leveraging system dynamics modeling (SDM). Employing a unique scenario design framework developed in this study, the DSS simulates Qatar's water resource system behavior for 2021 to 2070 according to nine clustered policy scenarios presenting different degrees of sustainability designed accounting for changes in physical, environmental, and socioeconomic patterns. Our results reveal that the “business-as-usual” (BAU) WRM policy can balance water supply and demand for only 32 years. According to the best policy scenario, the sustainability of the water supply could be ensured for up to 50 years by increasing the water supply by 10 % and reducing consumption by 10 %. Additionally, to aid policymakers in fostering water resource sustainability, groundwater conservation strategies are proposed using the unique scenario design framework by limiting the yield to the safe abstraction level and emphasizing the significance of preserving non-renewable groundwater resources as a “backstop” resource for the country. While marking the first holistic research study in Qatar by utilizing the SDM approach to tackle national-scale WRM challenges, the established WRM DSS model is equally applicable to other GCC countries and similar arid regions.

Application of surface energy balance Algorithm for land (SEBAL) for mapping spatiotemporal evapotranspiration over various climatic zones of Pakistan

To address the emerging issues of water scarcity in a hydrological realm, estimation of evapotranspiration (ET) at spatiotemporal scale is essential. It is crucial for understanding climate change, particularly for Pakistan's ongoing water resource management policy under the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), where water is given top priority. In situ techniques can quantify ET, but with a small spatial footprint, it cannot accurately depict its regional distribution. Therefore, geospatial techniques and data, especially high resolution satellite imagery, estimate ET for large heterogeneous surfaces. The Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) was employed in this study to estimate the spatiotemporal distribution of ET in various climatic zones of Pakistan using Landsat 8 images. A total of 48 satellite images were processed for six study sites (Skardu, Kalam, Peshawar, D.I. Khan, Quetta and Tando Jam) for the summer months from 2013 to 2020. Accuracy of SEBAL-based ET was evaluated with ground-based ET. The model performs well with daily rate of ET under southern desert hot climate of Tando Jam with highest pearson’s correlation coefficient (r) of 0.89, lowest root mean squared difference (RMSD) and mean bias error (MBE) of 0.42 mm/day and 0.26 mm/day, respectively. The steppe-hot and extremely humid climate of Peshawar follow Tando Jam, with r value of 0.82, RMSD value of 0.76 mm/day, and MBE value of 0.40 mm/day. Central desert hot climate of Dera Ismail Khan(D.I. Khan) has the lowest (though still better) r value at 0.74, while the other two indices (RMSD and MBE) do not differ significantly from other sites. A high RMSD (0.84 mm/day) for the daily ET rate is recorded in Skardu's northern, cold, snowy climate; the rest of the indices are comparable to D.I. Khan region. In Kalam, the ET rate for various land uses was calculated and was found highest for snow cover (4.66 to 6.45 mm/day), followed by forest cover (3.69 to 5.79 mm/day), and open water body (3.25 to 5.25 mm/day). The SEBAL model exhibitedtremendous potential to be applied under a range of climatic conditionsin this study. Evapotranspiration can provide vital information for monitoring hydrological extremes (droughts and floods), environmental protection, planning climate-resilient agriculture, combating climate change, and sustainable management of water resources.

Assessing Extreme Drought Events and Their Temporal Impact: Before and after the Operation of a Hydropower Plant

The probabilistic analysis of streamflow and drought event durations plays a crucial role in the efficient and sustainable management of existing water resources in the region. This approach involves the collection of historical hydrological data from river gauging stations, the use of statistical and probabilistic models, and the assessment of hydrological projections at different return periods to provide valuable information for society to understand the potential impacts of extreme events. The analysis is carried out on the Sinú River in Colombia, with consideration given to both the presence and absence of the Hydropower Plant Urrá I. The results reveal that, under natural conditions, a higher number of return periods correspond to less extreme drought flows and longer temporal durations. However, when the hydropower plant is operational, the occurrence and duration of drought are influenced by the regulations implemented during energy generation. The results of this analysis can guide water resource management policies, considering the operation of the hydroelectric plant, thereby enabling decisions that enhance the resilience and sustainability of the river’s hydrological conditions and communities that depend on it.

Physical and virtual water transfers in China and their implication for water planetary boundary.

China is an extremely water-scarce country with an uneven distribution of regional water resources. We define two absolute sustainability indicators, using the multi-regional input‒output (MRIO) model to outline the contribution of China's physical and virtual water transfers in mitigating the problem of regional water boundary-exceeding. Although the overall use of freshwater resources is within the safe operation space, 55% of province's water resource development transgresses the local water planetary boundary. Physical and virtual water transfers effectively mitigate the stress of water supply to the water planetary boundary in China's water-scarce regions. Among them, the role of virtual water transfers occupies the main part. The cost of using physical water in water-receiving regions and the situation of virtual water flowing from water-scarce regions to developed water-rich regions cannot be ignored, and a small number of provinces are responsible for most of the virtual water net imports and exports. The obtained results are helpful for the redistribution of water planetary boundary transgressing responsibilities among provinces and the formulation of absolute sustainable water resources management policies.

Water scarcity and local economic activity: Spatial spillovers and the role of irrigation

This paper explores the spatial spillover effects of water scarcity on local economic activity and examines the role of irrigation in modulating these effects. Utilizing a newly assembled global geospatial data set that combines information on seasonal water availability and economic activity measured by nighttime luminosity, I conduct a spatial econometric analysis at the granular level of 0.25°×0.25° grid cells worldwide. My results reveal that agricultural water scarcity in rainfed grid cells has negative spatial spillover effects on economic activity, extending up to 300 kilometers away. However, the presence of irrigation infrastructure effectively mitigates both the direct negative impacts and the negative spatial spillover effects of agricultural water scarcity on economic activity. These results suggest that the benefits of certain climate adaptation measures may not be confined locally, but are observable at a larger scale. This paper emphasizes the importance of considering spatial dynamics and irrigation in understanding the effects of water scarcity on economic activity, providing valuable insights for water resource management policies targeted at promoting climate-resilient development.

Bah Bolon River 1980-2023: The History of Pollution and River Used

The existence of the Bah Bolon River is related to the surrounding community. This study was diachronic research on the history and dynamics of the Bah Bolon River from 1980-2023. Bah Bolon River is related to environmental, social and economic changes in terms of river pollution. This study aimed to invent information on the condition of the Bah Bolon River in Pematang Siantar City, North Sumatra in 1980-2023 with a focus on pollution of the Bah Bolon River and its use for the surrounding community. The method used was a historical method which consists of four stages, namely heuristics, criticism, interpretation, and historiography. Data collection was carried out through a literature review and in-depth interviews. Literature data was taken from official documents and articles regarding the Bah Bolon River from 1980-2023. In-depth interviews were conducted with informants who met the criteria of (1) full enculturation; (2) direct involvement; (3) unfamiliar cultural atmosphere; (4) sufficient time; and (5) non-analytic. The chronological analysis carried out includes the transformation of river flows, the use of water resources, and their impact on the lives of local communities. The results showed that there were changes in land use, social structure, and community economy over time. These findings contribute to a deep understanding of the dynamics of the Bah Bolon River in the 1980s, creating a foundation for evaluating the impact of environmental change on human life. The results of this research contribute to the understanding of environmental history, social change, and community adaptation to ecological change. The implications of this research can be used as a basis for future environmental conservation and water resource management policies while exploring the historical and heritage value of the Bah Bolon River.

Інституційне середовище посилення стійкості водогосподарської сфери в умовах зовнішніх ризиків і загроз

The article considers the importance of the functional influence of the institutional environment on strengthening the sustainability of the water management sector and the overall increase in its efficiency in the context of the growing destructive impact of external risks and threats. The key aspects related to the formation of effective institutional mechanisms aimed at ensuring sustainable development of water resources and reducing the vulnerability of the water sector to external influences are identified. The importance of creating an effective regulatory framework that would comprehensively contribute to ensuring the sustainability of the water management sector in the long term is analyzed, taking into account the variety of external risks, such as climate change, environmental pollution, as well as the destructive impact of military operations. The issues of implementation of institutional innovations in the system of regulation of the water management sector in Ukraine are considered, in particular, such as the introduction of the latest technologies for water resources management, development of a system of interaction with non-governmental public and environmental institutions in the decision-making process, as well as promoting their participation in the formation of water resources management policy. The necessity of increasing attention to the institutional aspects of water resources management is substantiated, this will contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of water resources in the face of growing external risks and threats. It is proved that effective management of water resources requires an integrated approach, which should take into account not only technical aspects, but also socioeconomic and institutional factors. It is determined that the presence of stable institutional structures contributes to the creation of appropriate conditions for the development of the water management sector, as well as its functional adaptation to changes in the external environment. Institutional models of water resources management have been studied, based on which key principles and approaches that can be used to generally increase the sustainability of the water management sector in the context of external risks and threats have been identified.

Trend Analysis of Seasonal Drought in Northern Karnataka, India

Trend analysis of climatic data is often carried out in water resources management studies to understand its distribution over a given region. This paper presents an analysis of trends in meteorological drought in 12 districts in the northern part of Karnataka state, India over the period 1991–2020. Trends in the 3-month timescale standardized precipitation index (SPI-3) were analyzed using the Mann-Kendall (MK) trend test and Sen’s slope estimator for the Kharif season. The results of analysis showed an increasing trend of droughts in four districts however, the trend in most of the districts was not statistically significant. The findings were validated with the trend of the declared area under drought (AUD) by the state government for the study area. The findings of this work might be useful for a better understanding of regional drought trends and also for establishing effective water resources management policies.

Different policies constrained agricultural non-point pollutants emission trading management for water system under interval, fuzzy, and stochastic information

Formulating suitable policies is essential for resources and environmental management. In this study, an agricultural pollutants emission trading management model driven by water resources and pollutants control is developed to search reasonable policies for agricultural water resources allocation under multiple uncertainties. Random-fuzzy and interval information in water resources system that have directly impact on the effectiveness of management schemes is reflected through interval two-stage stochastic fuzzy-probability programming. The model was root from regional agricultural water resources system in Jining City, China under considering the relationship among effective precipitation, crop water demand, and pollutants emission. Two types policies (water consumption-control and pollutants emission-control) are designed for searching the related interaction on water resources management and water quality improvement. The results indicated that water resources policies would be of water and environmental double benefits, and a large rainfall would reduce irrigation amount from water sources and lead to a larger pollutants emission trading. The results will help for defining scientific and effective water resources protection and management policies and analyzing the related interacted effects on water consumption, pollutants control and system benefit.

Water Pollution and Decoupling Status in the Yangtze River Economic Belt

Monitoring and reducing Water pollution is critical for the sustainable and green development of socio-economy. This paper combined the concept of Grey Water Footprint and Decoupling theory to evaluate the water pollution status in Yangtze River and the related Economic Belt from 2003 to 2018. By understanding the pollution status, a clearer insight into whether Yangtze River achieved decoupling and where to further improve water quality could be found. According to the result, although some regions, such as Yunnan and Jiangxi, did not display a descending pattern during the period, Yangtze River Economic Belt as a whole showcased a steady decline in total GWF since 2010. In regarding to the economic development, every region within Yangtze River Economic Belt significantly increased their GDP throughout the period. Therefore, according to Tapios decoupling model, it was always decoupling status for Yangtze River Economy from 2003 to 2018, and it has been strong decoupling status for 7 years. This paper provides some information and references for the formulation of water resources management policies, and finally promotes the green development of the areas in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

Environmental Flows Assessment Based on the Coupling of Water Level and Salinity Requirements for Maintaining Biodiversity: A Case Study from the Ouémé delta in West Africa.

The present study carried out on the Ouémé delta in West Africa, addresses the implementation of the BBM approach for the determination e-flows in a context of high data limitation. It also highlights the potential challenges for the implementation of the recommended e-flows in West Africa countries. To do this, we first established the current ecological status of the delta based on data collection, measurements and scientists' observations. Then, we formulated ecological objectives for e-flows based on the environmental management vision for the delta. And finally, we determined the water requirements for the sustainability of the biodiversity and ecosystem services using a simple 2D hydrodynamic model. The results indicate that 100 and 50% of the average natural flows are required respectively in low-water and high-water periods (3.4 billion m3 per year) to maintain the Ouémé Delta in its current environmental management class. This recommendation for e-flows allocation is in direct competition with the water requirements for the economic development of the delta, which is estimated to be over 3.0 billion m3 per year in the Master Plan for Water Development and Management. While it is clear that the establishment of e-flows recommendations must be accompanied by measures to limit the degradation of ecological habitats, it is even more clear that the economic development remained the main concern of policymakers. The integration of environmental flows into water resources management policies in developing countries requires linking water needs for economic development with water needs for the ecological sustainability of rivers and their associated ecosystems.

Spatial Pattern of Plant Transpiration Over China Constrained by Observations

AbstractPlant transpiration is a key flux of surface water loss to the atmosphere, determining the available surface water for ecosystem and human use. However, over China, the magnitude of transpiration and its spatial pattern remain poorly understood due to a lack of constraints from in situ observations. Here we compile 34 plot‐scale annual transpiration measurements across China to evaluate the performance of four transpiration products, and then produce a new constrained transpiration map for China. The transpiration map reveals an annual value of 209.0 mm yr−1, while the four transpiration products have a large spread of values (173.4–307.9 mm yr−1), especially in the wet southeastern regions. Land surface models exhibit large biases in modeled transpiration (−62.8% to 49.1%) compared to our constrained transpiration, and tend to underestimate transpiration in wet regions while overestimating it in dry regions. This behavior introduces bias in runoff projections which has ramifications for regional water resource management policies.

Analysis of the Potential for Reusing Sanitary Effluents in the Hydrographic Basin of the Ipojuca River

Objective: This study aims to present an assessment of the potential for reusing effluents from domestic sewage treatment plants in the Hydrographic Basin of the Ipojuca River. Theoretical Framework: In regions facing water scarcity, effluent reuse emerges as an alternative to alleviate pressures and reduce contamination of water sources. In this regard, the choice of the Ipojuca River Watershed is justified due to the susceptibility of its constituent municipalities to water scarcity and pollution, as well as the fact that the Ipojuca River has been classified as the third most polluted in the country. Methodology: The methodology involved basin characterization, data collection from the sanitation services provider to perform quantitative and qualitative evaluation of reclaimed water supply, identification of demands based on consumptive uses (industry and irrigation), existing water use permits, and the provider's customer database. Additionally, georeferenced maps were generated for spatial analysis of the water balance. Results and Conclusion: Twelve Sewage Treatment Plants were identified, four of which are still under construction, with nominal treatment capacities exceeding the identified irrigation and industrial demands, except for two of them. In terms of quality, for the analyzed parameters, the treatment plants demonstrated satisfactory performance, suggesting that the effluent could be utilized for restricted purposes without the need for further treatment. Lastly, geospatially, the demands are located within a radius of 10km from the analyzed plants, in most cases. Research Implications: It can be inferred that the basin holds a significant reuse potential to be explored as an alternative for enhancing water availability and reducing effluent discharge into the Ipojuca River. Originality/Value: The results obtained through this unprecedented analysis in the watershed serve as a reference for policymakers and implementers of water resources management policies, as well as an encouragement for potential producers and consumers of reclaimed water.

Ecological Water Requirement of Vegetation and Water Stress Assessment in the Middle Reaches of the Keriya River Basin

Desert oases are vital for maintaining the ecological balance in arid regions’ inland river basins. However, fine-grained assessments of water stress in desert oasis ecosystems are limited. In our study, we aimed to evaluate the water stress in desert oasis ecosystems in the middle reaches of the Keriya River Basin, with a specific focus on their ecological functions and optimizing water resource management. We hypothesized that evapotranspiration has significant effects on ecological water consumption. First, we estimated the actual evapotranspiration (ET) and potential evapotranspiration (PET) based on the SEBS (surface energy balance system) model and remote sensing downscaling model. Then, the ecological water requirement (EWR) and ecological water stress (EWS) index were constructed to evaluate the ecological water resource utilization. Finally, we explored the influencing factors and proposed coping strategies. It was found that regions with higher ET values were mainly concentrated along the Keriya River and its adjacent farmland areas, while the lower values were observed in bare land or grassland areas. The total EWR exhibited the sequence of grassland > cropland > forest, while the EWR per unit area followed the opposite order. The grassland’s EWS showed a distinct seasonal response, with severe, moderate, and mild water shortages and water plenitude corresponding to spring, summer, autumn, and winter, respectively. In contrast, the land use types with the lowest EWS were water areas that remained in a state of water plentitude grade (0.08–0.20) throughout the year. Temperature and vegetation index were identified as the primary influencing factors. Overall, this study provides a reliable method for evaluating the EWR and EWS values of basin scale vegetation, which can serve as a scientific basis for formulating water resource management and regulation policies in the region.

Quantification of Spatiotemporal Variability of Evapotranspiration (ET) and the Contribution of Influencing Factors for Different Land Cover Types in the Yunnan Province

Evapotranspiration (ET) is an important component of terrestrial ecosystems and is sensitive to climate and land-use change due to its obvious link to ecohydrological processes. Therefore, understanding the spatiotemporal variability of evapotranspiration and its drivers under different land cover types plays an important role in estimating the impact of environmental change on the regional water cycle. In this study, we first estimated the spatiotemporal variations of ET for different land cover types in the Yunnan Province from 2001 to 2020 using the MODIS-Terra ET product (MOD16A2.06) and meteorological datasets, and quantified the contribution of six factors: namely, temperature (TEMP), precipitation (PRCP), relative humidity (RH), wind speed (WDSP), soil moisture (SLME), NDVI, elevation, and slope, to the ET under different land cover types by using a ridge regression model. We then discussed the main reasons for the differences in ET in the Yunnan Province under different land cover types. The conclusions are as follows: during the study period, the annual mean ET ranged from 27 to 1183 mm, and there was a large spatial heterogeneity in its spatial distribution, with the smallest increasing trend of 2.1 mm/year in agricultural land and the largest increasing trend of 4.7 mm/year in grassland. Except for cropland, the sum of the relative contributions of the three influence factors, precipitation (PRCP), NDVI, and elevation, to all land cover types exceeded 40%, making them the most dominant factors influencing ET changes in the Yunnan Province. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of the impacts of climate, vegetation, topography, and soils on ET, and contributes to the development of appropriate water resource management policies for different subsurface types in the context of climate warming and revegetation programs.