Analysis of Spatial-Temporal Differences in the Quality of Industrial Water Utilization Growth in China
中国产业用水增长质量的时空分异分析

Problems associated with how to quantify the quality of water utilization growth has become an urgent issue in the water resources community, since it is important for the sustainable development of water resources. Based on the margin idea in economics, three types of margin effects of industrial water utilization, i.e., scale margin effect, technology margin effect, and structure margin effect, in China and its 31 administerial regions (not including Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau) across the period 1997 -2007 were calculated by the Complete Decomposition model. Characteristics of spatial-temporal differences in the three margin effects were comprehensively analyzed. The index of the quality of industrial water utilization growth was constructed, on the based of which, characteristics of the temporal differences in the quality of industrial water utilization growth were analyzed. The spatial characteristics were also analyzed by this index combined with the method of the Gini coefficient and Theil index. Results show that over the study period, there existed an increasing trend in the quality of industrial water utilization growth in the whole country and the individual regions, but the increasing rate varied significantly among different regions. In general, the increasing rate in the eastern region was faster than that in the middle and western regions. Such differences showed an increasing trend over time. The differences among the eastern, middle and western regions and that within the eastern region play a dominant role in the composition of the total difference. It was found that the quality of water utilization growth suggests a high correlation with the economic development level. The difference in regional economic development level appears to be the major cause of the difference in the quality of water utilization growth. In order to substantially improve the quality of water utilization growth, on the one hand, it is suggest that the government shift the investment in water utilization and management to the middle and western regions properly and balance the economic development level among the eastern, middle and western regions. This may assist these regions in constructing and improving extensively connected infrastructure for water supply and utilization, and increasing the social adaptive ability for these regions. On the other hand, all the three regions should take a variety of measures to optimize industrial construction, decrease water consumption, and increase the water utilization efficiency. This may be of significance for reconciling the difference in the quality of water utilization growth among different regions in China.