College of Economics and Management, Northwest A&F University, Taicheng Road, Yangling 712100, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Feb 5;18(4):1540. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18041540.
Guaranteeing sustainable development is a pressing issue in China. To this end, balancing economic development and the protection of limited water resources enables healthy and orderly economic development. This study details the application of a water poverty index and sustainable livelihoods approach using 25 indicators to evaluate the water situation and the economic situation in rural China from 1997 to 2019. The analysis results suggest the need for location-specific policy interventions. In addition, we determined whether the water poverty and economic poverty or their spatial types featured the phenomenon of agglomeration. This study also proposes a harmonious development (HD) model and found a significant relationship between water poverty and economic poverty. Next, we adopted a spatial and temporal perspective to analyze the causes of variation in HD level using the modified Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) model and defined four HD levels using a classification method. The results revealed that the overall HD level was higher in the east than in the west. In conclusion, water poverty is associated with economic poverty; thus, there is a need for water and economic assistance strategies in pro-poor policies. The research findings also serve as a theoretical foundation for policies aimed at resolving conflicts between water use and economic development in rural China.
保障可持续发展是中国面临的紧迫问题。为此，平衡经济发展和保护有限的水资源，才能实现健康有序的经济发展。本研究详细介绍了应用水贫困指数和可持续生计方法，使用 25 项指标来评估中国农村 1997 年至 2019 年的水情和经济状况。分析结果表明需要采取具体地点的政策干预措施。此外，我们还确定了水贫困和经济贫困或其空间类型是否存在集聚现象。本研究还提出了一种和谐发展（HD）模型，并发现水贫困与经济贫困之间存在显著关系。接下来，我们采用时空视角，使用改进的经济合作与发展组织（OECD）模型分析了 HD 水平变化的原因，并采用分类方法定义了四个 HD 水平。结果表明，东部的整体 HD 水平高于西部。总之，水贫困与经济贫困相关，因此，扶贫政策需要制定水和经济援助战略。研究结果还为解决中国农村用水与经济发展之间冲突的政策提供了理论依据。
