A Pilot On Virtual Water And Water Resource Strategy In Chongqing

Water is a vital resource for all mankind and is the material foundation of development and the basic element of the ecological environment. With the increasing in population and social development, and increasingly global sharp contradiction between supplying and demanding of water resources, water shortage has become an important constraining factor for sustainable socio-economic development in many countries. Chongqing is a structural shortage of water city, study how to reasonably and sustainably use of water resources has become a pressing issue of sustainable development in Chongqing.In recent years ,the arisen of "concept of virtual water" and "water footprint model" provide water resource managers a new perspective of breakthrough the limitations of entities water and make up for defects on cost and technical in traditional methods, and are of significance for the issue on sustainable use of water resources. This paper introduces the concept of virtual water and water footprint, systematically summarized and summed up the virtual water and related theories and methods. It comprehensively summed up the situation of Chongqing and existing problems in development and utilization of water resources of Chongqing and on the basis of the virtual water on the quantitative and virtual water consumption and water use efficiency of all industrial sectors in Chongqing , empirical studies to virtual water of chongqing were conducted, research showed that:With the improvement of living standards, ,virtual water consumption structure of urban and rural in the three major economic zones of Chongqing and virtual water consumption structure of urban and rural counties of Chongqing had undergone great changes from 1997 to 2005, virtual water consumption patterns grew from a single continuous trend to diversification . Diversification of virtual water consumption structure was useful to dependence on water resources and food security, but it still could not pursuit of the Western luxury consumption patterns too much.Using virtual water products research methods accounting and analysis water footprints in 2005 showed that resources footprint measuring based on virtual water account not only profoundly revealed the true consumption of water resources by socio-economic system of mankind, as well as was an important strategic inspiration to the shortage of water resources management. That was increasing water use efficiency, improving human consumption structure and consumption pattern and virtual water trade.This paper chose data of 40 counties of Chongqing in 2005 as an example, using ridge regression method obtained multivariate linear model, which contained total virtual water consumption as the measurement indicators of STIRPAT pressure on the environment and the population, and second degree of affluence, virtual water consumption intensity. The influent factors of virtual water consumption and human activities on the environmental impact of water system were analyzed and results showed that the population was currently one of the main driving factors of virtual water consumption.Through the implementation of strategy of economic and ecological benefits of virtual water in Chongqing ,simulation analysis obtained that appropriate implementation of virtual water strategy, greatly reduced the pressure on local water resources, and promoted economic growth .In the same time it also studied actualizing the proposed virtual water strategy under condition of ensuring food safety standards in Chongqing could be an effective way to ease the pressure of water resources of Chongqing and ecological pressures.Finally, virtual water strategy should be appropriately implemented and industrial distribution should be adjusted in Chongqing and scientific advices were proposed for management departments of water resources.