Changes in Water Resources Systems: Methodologies to Maintain Water Security and Ensure Integrated Management (Proceedings of Symposium HS3006 at IUGG2007, Perugia, July 2007).  IAHS Publ. 315, 2007, 303-309.


 

Impacts of water pollution and shortage on the economic development of the Haihe River basin

 

Huang Hao1 & Xia Jun2

1 The Third Institute of Oceanography, SOA, 178A Daxue Road, Xiamen 361005, China

oecwulin@xmu.edu.cn

2 Key Laboratory of  Water Cycle & Related Surface Process, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, 11A Datun Road, Anwai Beijing 100101, China

 

Abstract The Haihe River basin is one of the seven major river basins, which are of great ecological importance to China. On one hand, the Haihe River basins economy is developing rapidly, but on the other hand, the ecological environment in this region is increasingly worse, and its ecosystem is becoming extremely fragile, which is not harmonious with its rapid economic development. Coming from the general equilibrium theory of Walrus, the CGE model (Computable General Equilibrium) can be applied to analyse the impact of government policy on economic development. Environmental policies taken to reduce pollutant disposal and water consumption directly influence product price, production cost, and even economic structure. In this paper, by building a CGE model, we will analyse the impact of water pollution and water shortage on economic development in the basin region. By viewing water resource as one of the production factors and water pollution treatment as an independent entity, we will also analyse the relationship between input and output of water resource, and between water pollution control and other economic activities. The analysis comes to the following points. First, through water pollution control the traditional GDP decreases, but the green GDP increases. Second, compared to water shortage, the water pollution crisis is more urgent. Through the water diversion project from the south to the north of China and technique index promotion, water shortage is alleviated, but water pollution needs further effort.

 

Key words CGE Model; Haihe River basin; water pollution; water shortage