Analysis of Temporal and Spatial Differences in Eco-environmental Carrying Capacity Related to Water in the Haihe River Basins, China

With overly-rapid socio-economic development and population increases, water abstraction for agricultural, industrial and municipal use increases rapidly, while the water left for ecological maintenance decreases greatly. At the same time, large amounts of polluted water are discharged into rivers because purification plants are inadequate or not built in time, causing serious eco-environmental problems in the Haihe river basins which make regional development unsustainable. Estimating eco-environmental carrying capacity related to water is a key to curbing overuse of water and resolving eco-environmental problems. Because of different trends in water resources development and resultant eco-environmental problems in different sub-basins of the Haihe river, there are different water-related eco-environmental carrying capacities (EECCs) in these sub-basins. Time-series and multi-objective optimization methods are used to determine the EECC in various eco-environmental regions of the Haihe river basins, China. The results show that the entirety of the Haihe river basins will not reach a stable, sustainable state until about 2033, through gradual amelioration of eco-environmental problems. The various eco-regions of the sub-basins will need different lengths of time to reach their own stable states because of different available water resources, eco-environmental problems and social and economic development. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010