Water resources scarcity standards and zoning evaluation in China

Zhao Yong; Li Wei; He Fan; Wang Lizhen; He Guohua

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1000-1123.2024.15.006

Abstract：Clarifying standards for water resources scarcity and regional water shortage status is fundamental to water resource planning and management.However,there is no consensus and standard on the current situation,which affects the effective implementation of water resources rigid constraints and policies such as"water dominates city and land development,population and production".This study analyzed the concept and connotation of water resources scarcity,selecting indicators of annual precipitation and per capita available water resources,and considering factors such as external water transfer and available transboundary water.It establishes a"double indicators,four factors,three levels"evaluation system for water resources scarcity.By calculating the average water demand per person under modem productivity levels in different regions and comparing it with actual per capita available water resources,it proposes thresholds for water resources scarcity and severe scarcity in different regions:600 m3 and 400 m3 in the Huang-Huai-Hai River basin,800 m3 and 500 m3 in the Song-Liao River basin,and 1500 m3 and 1000 m3 in the Yangtze River basin,Pearl River basin,and southeast and southwest river regions.The scarcity criteria are significantly lower than Falkenmark's standard of 1700 m3 per capitain 1989,mainly due to the significant improvement in productivity and irrigation water use efficiency.Based on this,an evaluation of water resources scarcity was conducted for 345 cities across the country,and the results showed that the proportions of cities with no shortage,shortage,and severe shortage are 55％,23％,and 22％,respectively.