Evaluation of Sustainable Water Resource Use in the Tarim River Basin Based on Water Footprint

Quantifying water use for agricultural production and accurate evaluation is important for achieving a balance between water supply and demand and sustainable use, especially in arid regions. This study quantifies the water footprint of food production in the Tarim River Basin (TRB) from 2000 to 2019 by conducting a sustainability evaluation using both the water footprint and DPSIR model as a theoretical framework, and by analyzing spatial and temporal changes. The results show that the water footprint of the TRB increased from 2.15 m(3)/kg to 2.86 m(3)/kg per unit during the study period. The average annual weighted water footprint of the basin is 2.59 m(3)/kg, of which 2.41 m(3)/kg is blue water and 0.18 m(3)/kg is green water. Blue water inputs contribute more than 94% to food production annually. Furthermore, although the level of sustainable water use increased, its score is low, with the most prominent stress assessment value indicating poor regional water use. Prior to 2010, the Tarim River Basin region's sustainability was less than 0.4, indicating that water resources were at or below the level of basic unsustainability. By 2019, however, the sustainability of areas with better water use was greater than 0.4., and the sustainability of 80% of the region was above 0.2. In the future, we need to reduce the crop water footprint and improve water use efficiency to ensure the sustainable use of water resources and avoid further pressure on water use.

Automated summary

This study assesses the sustainability of water use in food production in the Tarim River Basin by analyzing the water footprint and using the DPSIR model. The results show an increase in the water footprint over the study period. Although the level of sustainable water use has improved, the overall sustainability score is low.