Articles | Volume 379
https://doi.org/10.5194/piahs-379-269-2018
https://doi.org/10.5194/piahs-379-269-2018
Pre-conference publication
 | 
05 Jun 2018
Pre-conference publication |  | 05 Jun 2018

Preliminary research on quantitative methods of water resources carrying capacity based on water resources balance sheet

Yanqiu Wang, Xiaorong Huang, Linyun Gao, Biying Guo, and Kai Ma

Abstract. Water resources are not only basic natural resources, but also strategic economic resources and ecological control factors. Water resources carrying capacity constrains the sustainable development of regional economy and society. Studies of water resources carrying capacity can provide helpful information about how the socioeconomic system is both supported and restrained by the water resources system. Based on the research of different scholars, major problems in the study of water resources carrying capacity were summarized as follows: the definition of water resources carrying capacity is not yet unified; the methods of carrying capacity quantification based on the definition of inconsistency are poor in operability; the current quantitative research methods of water resources carrying capacity did not fully reflect the principles of sustainable development; it is difficult to quantify the relationship among the water resources, economic society and ecological environment. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a better quantitative evaluation method to determine the regional water resources carrying capacity. This paper proposes a new approach to quantifying water resources carrying capacity (that is, through the compilation of the water resources balance sheet) to get a grasp of the regional water resources depletion and water environmental degradation (as well as regional water resources stock assets and liabilities), figure out the squeeze of socioeconomic activities on the environment, and discuss the quantitative calculation methods and technical route of water resources carrying capacity which are able to embody the substance of sustainable development.

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Short summary
In the mid-1990s, the losses caused by ecological environment destruction every year in China accounted for more than 8 % of GDP. When economic prosperity comes with serious environmental damage, the false image of national growth emerges, which will cause distortion to the evaluation of water resources carrying capacity. This paper proposes a quantitative technical route combined with a water resources balance sheet, which is able to fully reflect the sustainable development theory.