The Temporal Evolution of Physical Water Consumption and Virtual Water Flow in Beijing, China

Abstract

Water shortage has become the main bottleneck restricting the sustainable development of Beijing. The temporal evolution of physical water consumption and virtual water flow in Beijing is analyzed. The total physical water consumption of various economic departments in Beijing shows an overall decreasing trend. There are significant differences in virtual water flow patterns of different departments. Inter-regional joint production will be the key to solve the problem of uneven spatial and temporal distribution of water resources. Highlights: With the rapid development of the socio-economic system and the close connection of inter-regional trade, the physical water consumption in production and the virtual water flow associated with inter-regional trade are both have a significant impact on local water systems, especially in megacities. Beijing is the political, economic and cultural center of China, which is a megacity that has severe water scarcity. To evaluate the status-quo of local water consumption and propose the countermeasures, this study quantitatively analyzed the evolution trend of physical water consumption and the virtual water flow in Beijing. The results show that the total physical water consumption in Beijing decreased from 2.43 billion m3 (2002) to 1.98 billion m3 (2017), while the net virtual water input increased from 1.76 billion m3 (2002) to 3.09 billion m3 (2017), which was mainly embedded in agricultural and industrial products. This study also reveals the equal importance of physical water and virtual water in ensuring the regional water security and sustainable economic development. In view of poor water resource endowment, Beijing should conduct the coupled management of physical water and virtual water to alleviate the local water shortage, i.e., to receive more virtual water embedded in agricultural and industrial products, and allocate the limited local water resources to domestic use and high-benefit sectors.