Abstract:

With the development of the economy in the Poyang Lake Ecoeconomic Region, water resources have been intensively explored and utilized. In order to keep the economy and society developing sustainable, it is necessary to assess the water resource security (WRS) for the Poyang Lake watershed.Firstly, based on the representative principle, integrity principle,quantifiable principle and comparable principle, the index system to assess water resources security forPoyang Lake watershedwas established under the framework of statepressureresponse index system. Secondly, combining the data from the Statistical Yearbook and Water Resources Bulletin of Jiangxi Province, the composite index method wasapplied to calculate assessed values from 2000 to 2010. The variation coefficient method was also used to assign weights for each index objectively. Then, the assessed values of WRS were classified to five classes of the WRS status based on unequal interval method, and the WRS status included extreme safety (Class V), very safety (Class IV), safety (Class III), unsafety (Class II) and extreme unsafety (Class I).Results showed that among the indexes, population density, river network density and the application rate of chemical fertilizers and pesticides have a great influence on WRS in Poyang Lake watershed, because they had large weight calculated by the objective variation coefficient method. The status of WRS in Poyang Lake watershed had experienced the trend from the safety(Class III) to very safety (Class IV), to the safety (Class III), and finally developing to the unsafety (Class II) from 2000 to 2010. From the perspective of risk sources of WRS,thisvariation trendwas mainly caused by the increasing of the population, industry and agriculture production used water, domestic water used and the large utilizingof chemical fertilizers and pesticides. In addition, the overall trend of WRS status in Poyang Lake watershed from 2000 to 2010 show a trend of deterioration. Although the awareness of environmental protection has been gradually enhanced, and environmental investmentswere increasing, the rate of wastewater treatment has been improved and the management of industrial wastewater has been strengthened in recent years, it is difficult to suffer the pressure from the economic and social development, which made the water resources exposing the worsening trend.From the current status of WRS and their risk sources from 2000 to 2010, we can predict that the status of WRS will be in safety (Class III) or unsafe (Class II) status in Poyang Lake watershedin the near future. In the year with less precipitation, the status of WRS will be worse because of the economy increasing development. Only if the society and economy are developing with the growth of population controlled, environment protection awareness strengthened, the rate of wastewater treatment and environment investment increased, and water quality of rivers improved, the sustainable utility of water resource may be utilized and explored sustainably. Quantitative assessment of WRS and its variation trend analysis will provide a scientific basis for reasonable development and sustainable utilityof water resources in Poyang Lake watershed