Work

Evaluation and diagnosis of water resource carrying capacity in the middle reaches of the Heihe River under SEEA-W perspective

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The evaluation of water resources carrying capacity (WRCC) is an important research tool to assess whether regional water resources can support sustainable development. However, the traditional evaluation of WRCC has the limitations of fragmentation of subsystems, homogenization of indicators, and ambiguous evaluation results. Based on the framework of the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting for Water (SEEA-W), this study constructs an evaluation index system covering “Production-Supply-Use-Consumption- Emission” (PSUCE), and combines it with the improved TOPSIS method and the obstacle degree model to dynamically evaluate the WRCC of the middle reaches of the Heihe River in the period of 2003-2023. The results show that the WRCC in the study area is driven by both natural endowment and human intervention, with a general trend of “fluctuating upward-peak downward”, and the carrying capacity reached the highest level of level IV (basic carrying capacity) in 2019. Among the indicators, Surface Water Supply (C5), Irrigation Water per unit area (C9), Agricultural Water Use Efficiency (C10), Domestic Water Use per capita (13), Domestic Wastewater Discharge (C20), and Wastewater Reuse Rate (C23) are the key indicators affecting the regional water resources carrying capacity. In addition, the study found that the agricultural and industrial components showed some synergies in the use of water resources.Overall, the study area is facing the threat of short-term drought trends, population-guided effluent pressures, and structural imbalances in irrigated agricultural water use. In order to cope with climate uncertainty and sustainable development needs, the study proposes a multilevel regulatory system that optimizes water structure and transboundary synergistic management, transforms agricultural water conservation, and enhances urban resilience to provide a policy reference for water resources management in the basin.

Source: Ecological Indicators

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.114656

Authors: Jiangzhe Han, Zongxing Li, Xiaohong Deng, Huiwenqing Fan, Yixuan Wang

Institutions: Chinese Academy of Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou University, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Language: English

Topic: Water Resources and Sustainability

Subfield: Water Science and Technology

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Clean water and sanitation

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,650