Analysis of the Spatio-Temporal Matching of Water Resource and Economic Development Factors in China
中国水资源与经济发展要素的时空匹配分析

With the rapid economic development, relative shortage of water resources has become a vital factor that impacts sustainable development of regional society, economy and ecology in China. Previous studies primarily focus on water distribution and allocation methods and lay too much importance on economy, thus neglecting the balance between water resource and other economic development factors such as people and regional area. In this paper, based on relevant data of water distribution and allocation during 2004-2009 from 31 provinces, Gini coefficients of three economic development factors including population, area and GDP in China were computed, and temporal evolution discipline of matching between water resource and economic development factors was examined in detail. The results indicate that the Gini coefficient of water resource distribution versus population and GDP takes a low value, showing a high matching degree for them; the Gini coefficient of water resource distribution versus land area takes a relatively high value, showing a mismatch relation for them; the Gini coefficient of water allocation versus GDP, population and land area separately takes a relatively low value, a middle value and a relatively high value, showing correspondingly high match, mismatch and extreme mismatch relation; the Gini coefficients of water distribution and allocation versus economic development factors increase slowly, meaning that the matching degree of them are becoming lower. As for spatial distribution characteristics, China was divided into seven regions in this paper according to geographic location, and the imbalance indexes of water distribution and allocation versus the three economic development factors in 2009 for the partition regions were calculated. The results show that the imbalance indexes of water distribution versus population, GDP and land area in Southern China, Northwest and Southwest regions as well as those of water allocation versus population, GDP and water endowment in Central China, Southern China and Northwest regions are far below the national average; the overall balance between regions has been improved through water allocation, but it is still a long way to go. In addition, adjustment measures such as enhancing the fairness of water allocation, improving water use efficiency and conducting intraregional, interregional water transfer projects were proposed to provide support for alleviating the shortage of regional water resources and regulating the imbalance of water distribution and allocation.