Study on Water Consumption Coefficient of People's Living and Its Regional Disparity in the North of China

1 INTRODUCTIONWater shortage will be one of the common risks peoplehave to face in the 21st century. China, a country withwater shortage, possesses only as much as 1/4 of the world'smean occupation for every person and is enlisted as oneof the thirteen countries where water is in a great shortage.Furthermore, in China, the water resources distributionhas been terribly unbalanced from region to region. NorthChina, covering 15 provinces, possessing 45% of thefarmland and 38% of the populat…

Study on Water Consumption Coefficient of People's Living and Its Regional Disparity in the North of China

By employing the information-reshufflingmethod that integrates census data, precipitation dataand inquiry data of water consumption, this paperdiscusses 5 (water consumption coefficient of people'sliving) in allusion to different precipitation zones anddifferent periods of time. The study shows that 5-(water consumption coefficient of urban people'sliving), 5. (water consumption coefficient of ruralpeople's living) and increase with time passing, andthe increasing extent of 5 is 1.84, 2.62, 2.84 and 2.68times respectively from the west to the east, whichresults from the total quantity of water resources andthe speed of urbanization. 5- and 5. of eachprecipitation zone increased with 5- increasing morequickly than 5., and the difference between the twoalso increased when time passed. In the past fifty years(1950-2000), the increasing extent of 5- was 1.71,2.96, 2.41 and 2.33 times respectively from the westto the east, in which 200-400mm precipitation zoneincreased more than others. Meanwhile the increasingextent of 5. is 1.55, 1.60, 1.53 and 1.64 timesrespectively from the west to the east with eachprecipitation zone increasing similarly. The change of5-is due to the speed of urbanization and the stabilityof water resources. This study provides basis forcalculating the water demand of people's living andrevealing the impact of water demand of people's livingon ecological drought in different zones.