Evaluating Recent Water Resource Trends in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region of China at The Provincial Level

The water resources are extremely limited and unsustainably exploited in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region with high rates of urbanization and population growth. In this paper, the recent data were acquired from a variety of official statistical bulletins and yearbooks. An index system was established to evaluate the quantity and quality of water resources (target layer) at the provincial level. A criteria layer was defined, which included 25 indices (index layer), based on the “Three Red Lines” of the “Strictest Water Resources Management System” in China, including the control of total water consumption, the control of water use efficiency, and the restriction of pollutant emissions into rivers/lakes. Each index within the system was assessed. Moreover, the principal component analysis was introduced to present the comprehensive tendency of each criteria layer. Results indicate: 1) a water shortage still exists; the total and per capita water resources have been reduced drastically when compared with historical records; groundwater still accounts for the vast majority of the total water supply. 2) Water use efficiency has improved remarkably. 3) The outlook for the water quality is not optimistic, in terms of either the river reach length percentage that is classified as worse than Grade V or the total volume of wastewater discharged. 4) In general, the three criteria layers have improved continuously over the last several years. The implementation of a regional synergic development strategy and the construction of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project have the potential to improve the health status of regional water resources.