Spatial-temporal evolution of water resources utilization efficiency in Jiangsu Province

Abstract

Abstract Improving water resource utilization efficiency is essential in alleviating the crisis of water resource shortage and promoting the sustainable development of the social economy. Based on the data envelopment analysis (DEA) and Malmquist index, the agricultural, industrial, and domestic water resource utilization efficiency of Jiangsu Province from 2011 to 2020 are evaluated, respectively. The results show that the DEA efficiency of agriculture and industrial water use is greater than that of domestic while the improvement of agricultural and domestic water efficiency is larger than that of industrial. Temporally, the water use efficiency was on an increasing trend from 2011 to 2020, and technological progress is the main factor in improving the water resource utilization efficiency. Spatially, the water use efficiency of southern cities in Jiangsu Province is higher than that of northern and central cities, but the difference between cities is gradually narrowing. To improve the efficiency of water resource efficiency, the government should formulate water resource management policies according to local conditions.