Optimizing Water Use Structures in Resource-Based Water-Deficient Regions Using Water Resources Input–Output Analysis: A Case Study in Hebei Province, China

Abstract

Hebei is a representative province facing the scarcity of water resource in China. China is promoting the coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei, as well as the establishment of Xiong’an New Area. Hebei Province therefore has to bear the population pressure brought by the construction of Xiong’an New Area, while also absorbing the transfer of industries from Beijing and Tianjin. Therefore, its water supply tensions will be further exacerbated. This study constructed an input–output (IO) table utilizing the input and output data of Hebei in 2015 and analyzed the industrial structure and the characteristics of water usage in relevant industries. The research results show that the agricultural sector in Hebei Province consumes the highest water consumption per 10,000 yuan in output value, while the service and transportation industries are the lowest. And a large amount of water used in the agricultural sector is transferred to the manufacturing sector and construction sector in the form of virtual water. The main way to solve the contradiction between water supply and demand in the typical water-deficient areas represented by Hebei Province is to improve water resource utilization efficiency in the short term, and to change the regional water use structure through industrial structure adjustment in the long term.