Water Resource Sustainable Utilization Based On Water Footprint Theory

Sustainable development of water resources is one of the hot research topics now in theworld. The virtual water stratagem and the water footprint theory, which break through theentitative water localization in the recent years, extend to the virtual water scopes, and are ofsignificant meaning for the sustainable development of water resources.Dalian is a typical coastal city short of portable water resources. By introducing theseconcepts and theories, models and calculation methods of water footprint and virtual water,the paper calculated the virtual water trade quantities of 26 kinds of the agricultural products,livestock products, piscatorial products and the industrial products, and the footprint of Daliancity in 2004.The total footprint of Dalian city in 2004 is -97.71×10~8m~3, the footprint of the agriculture,herd and fishery is -97.71×10~8m~3, and the footprint of the industry is 3.53×10~8m~3, howeverthe imported footprint is too lack which just is 24.91×10~8m~3, and the exported footprint is toomuch which is 119.08×10~8m~3.Dalian is a virtual water net-exportation city, and the water dependency is 0. Thenet-exported virtual water is 32.29×10~8m~3 (taken out the virtual water 100.81×10~8m~3 of theseafood), which is as 1.16 times as the total water resource in 2004., so that there is theoverdraft, which endangers the safety of the water resource in Dalian.Aiming at the severe short of portable water resources city Dalian, the paper indicate toadjust and optimize the strategy and framework of the virtual water, and to import the shortindustrial and agricultural products in Dalian with the much virtual water contents, the highscience and technology, and the little pollution, and to export the products with the littlevirtual water contents, the high adjunctive cost and the high science and technology. Tosafeguard the sustainable development of water resources in Dalian, the agriculture, the herdand the fishery should develop the economical products such as the vegetables and fruits withthe little virtual water content and control the exportion of the resource agricultural productswith the much virtual water.The paper put forward the calculational method of the beer virtual water content fot thefirst time in China. With investigation and research, the beer virtual water content of Dalian is400m~3/m~3 in 2004.Actualizing the water recycle economy is the main step to reduce the water footprint.