Effect of the Jialing-to-Hanjiang River Basin Water-transfer Project on the Spatial Equilibrium of Allocation of Regional Water Resources

The effect of the Jialing-to-Hanjiang river basin water-transfer project on the spatial equilibrium of regional water resource allocation is very important for the coordinated social economic development of the corresponding basins. Based on indicators from 2015 related to the coordinated development of the resources and social economy of the Jialing river basin (above the Lueyang gauge), Hanjiang river basin (above the Huangjinxia hydrologic section), and Guanzhong water-receiving area, this study developed the bench theory using the analytic hierarchy process and membership function method to explore the spatial equilibrium of regional water resource allocation in Shaanxi Province of China. Results show that: (1) significant economic shortages prevail in the Jialing and Hanjiang river basins, and the corresponding ratios of resources index to economic index are 2.623 and 1.468, respectively. A significant shortage of resources also exists in the Guanzhong area, and the aforementioned ratio for this area is 0.519; thus, there is a large gap among the ratios for the three regions. (2) The shortages in the three regions are expected to improve significantly by 2030 based on the effect of implementing the water-transfer project on regional resource coordination and the social economy. (3) The efficiency of the utilization of non-agricultural water resources is higher in the water-receiving area than in the diversion area, and the comprehensive and non-agricultural economic benefits of water use per unit volume are significantly improved after water transfer. This study provides theoretical guidance for the improvement of water-resource carrying capacity in the research areas, promoting a more balanced spatial allocation of water resources and benefitting regional economic and social development.