Spatial Analysis of Water Consumption in the Macroeconomic Sectors of the State of Ceará, Brazil

Abstract

Abstract Water consumption generated by the economic structure exhibits spatial variation within a territory due to the influence of economic and geographical factors that impact the demand and supply of water. Thus, this study assessed the spatial dependence of total water consumption through the use of Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA). For this purpose, two statistical tests of spatial autocorrelation were applied: The Global Moran's Index (I) and the Local Indicator of Spatial Association (LISA). The spatial structure of the data was determined by the Rook-type spatial contiguity matrix. Positive spatial autocorrelation was found based on the analysis of the Global Moran's I statistic. It was observed that consumption is not evenly distributed in its geographical space, indicating the formation of clusters of municipalities with High-High, High-Low, Low-High, and Low-Low aggregation patterns. In the univariate analysis of total water consumption by LISA, clusters of municipalities with High-High aggregation were identified in the Hydrographic Regions of Baixo Jaguaribe, Curu, Litoral, Médio Jaguaribe, and Bacias Metropolitanas, indicating a strong positive association between the consumption in these regions and their neighbors. In the bivariate analysis between total Water consumption and Gross Value Added of the municipalities in Ceará, two more Hydrographic Regions with High-High aggregation were identified, in addition to those already identified in the univariate analysis, namely Acaraú and Banabuiú. Thus, the study identifies spatial clusters that are essential for identifying regional inequalities and facilitating decision-making in the allocation of water resources.