Chinese Journal of Population, Resources and Environment 20 (2022) 261‒269
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Chinese Journal of Population, Resources and Environment
Assessing adaptability of the water resource system to social-ecological systems
in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region: Based on the DPSIR-TOPSIS framework
Dan Wu∗, Mengyao Liu
School of Economics and Management, North China University of Technology, Beijing, 100144, China
A R T I C L E I N F O
Keywords:
Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region
Water resource system
Social-ecological systems
Adaptation
Mechanism
Evaluation
1. Introduction
The per capita water resources in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei re‐
gion represent only 1/9 of the national per capita water resources. Ad‐
ditionally, the annual water consumption of the region in the last 10
years was approximately 25 billion m3. Except for 2012, water pro‐
duction in other years was less than water consumption, highlighting
the serious problem of resource-based water shortage. In particular,
the uneven spatiotemporal distribution of water resources in the re‐
gion has exacerbated the imbalance of water supply and demand.
Consequently, water resources have been the constraining factors af‐
fecting eco-social social-ecological development and the transforma‐
tion and upgrading of industrial structures in the Beijing-Tianjin-
∗
Corresponding author.
E-mail address: wu_daniel@163.com (D. Wu)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjpre.2022.09.007
Received 17 March 2022; Accepted 23 June 2022
2325-4262/© 2021 Shandong Normal University. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co. Ltd. This is an open access article under
the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
journal homepage: www.keaipublishing.com/cjpre
A B S T R A C T
To optimize the overall layout of water resource allocation in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the adaptabil‐
ity of the water resource system to the regional social-ecological systems has to be enhanced. Based on the
driver-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) framework, this study constructs an evaluation index system to
analyze the adaptability mechanisms of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s water resource system according to the three
major constituent social-ecological systems (i. e., economic, social, and ecological systems). Moreover, it
adopts the technique of order preference similarity to the ideal solution (TOPSIS) to comprehensively evaluate
the adaptability of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s water resource system based on three constituent social-ecological
systems (i.e., economic, social, and ecological systems) and identifies the spatiotemporal differentiation char‐
acteristics of the region. Our results showed that, ① from 2000 to 2020, the adaptability of Beijing-Tianjin-
Hebei ’ s water resource system, as a whole, significantly improved. In terms of stages, from 2000 to 2007, the
adaptability of the water resource social system was significantly higher than that of economic and ecological
systems in the region. From 2008 to 2015, by accelerating the transformation and upgrading of industrial
structures, improving the efficiency of economic water utilization, and strengthening the governance of the
water ecosystem, the adaptability of water resource economic and ecological systems rapidly improved; how‐
ever, that of the water resource ecological system was still the lowest. Additionally, the adaptability of the wa‐
ter resource economic system exceeded that of the social system. From 2016 to 2020, the gap in adaptability of
the water resource system to all three major constituent systems gradually narrowed. By 2020, the three sys‐
tems entered a relatively balanced development stage, with the adaptability of the entire water resource system
and the three major constituent systems maintaining a high level. ② The economic system was significantly af‐
fected by per capita GDP, per capita water resources, and the efficiency of economic water utilization. Addition‐
ally, the social system was significantly affected by water consumption per unit of irrigation area. Meanwhile,
the ecological system was significantly influenced by precipitation, water pollution discharge performance indi‐
cators, and the structure optimization indicators of water supply. According to the evaluation results, we pro‐
pose countermeasures and provide recommendations to optimize the overall layout of water resource alloca‐
tion and promote the coordinated management of water resources in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
Hebei region. To actively respond to the challenges of water re‐
sources in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the national ministries
and commissions issued detailed policy documents to accelerate the
reform of water resource supply and the development of water re‐
source management policies and systems. Specifically, they aimed to
establish a rational allocation system of water resources and improve
water resource utilization. For example, the policy of “Special plan‐
ning of water conservancy for the coordinated development of Beijing-
Tianjin-Hebei region” was proposed to strengthen the rigid con‐
straints on water resources and coordinate the allocation of water re‐
sources among the three subregions. Additionally, the policy of “Wa‐
ter Pollution Prevention and Control Planning for Key River Basins
(2016−2020)” was proposed to remove the administrative regional re‐
D. WU et al.
strictions imposed on the three subregions, construct an integrated
mechanism of overall water resources protection, and strengthen wa‐
ter resources protection law enforcement in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei
region. Moreover, the policies of “Guiding opinions on incorporating
unconventional water resources into the unified allocation of water
resources” and “Overall theme for water resources guarantee system
of water resources ’ multiple-sources and multiple-channels in the
Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region” were introduced to improve the guaran‐
tee system of regional water resource supply and realize the optimal
allocation of multiple-sources in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Fur‐
ther, to promote the high-quality green development of industries,
the policy of “Industrial water saving action plan in the Beijing-
Tianjin-Hebei region” established industrial structures and their pro‐
duction mode, which should be compatible with the carrying capacity
of water resources in the region. These policies and measurements
provided considerable support for improving the optimal allocation of
water resources and promoting the high-quality economic develop‐
ment of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Referring to the practice of
water resource allocation and management in the Beijing-Tianjin-
Hebei region, national and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s government man‐
agement departments face key challenges with respect to developing
effective ways to improve the adaptability of the water resource sys‐
tem, ensuring its safety, and accelerating the optimal layout of
Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s industrial structures. Thus, it is imperative
that we thoroughly and accurately evaluate the adaptability of
Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s water resource system and identify its spatio‐
temporal differentiation characteristics to further optimize the overall
layout of water resource allocation in the region.
Based on a detailed review of international literatures, scholars
have investigated the role of water resource allocation and utilization
as a social-ecological system from three aspects. First, previous stud‐
ies have evaluated the overall implementation of multi-dimensional
goals, such as social equity, economic benefits, ecological protection,
as well as the realization of multi-objective dynamic balance of eco‐
nomic, social, and environmental benefits (Condon and Maxwell,
2013; Dadmand et al., 2020; Hu et al., 2016; Feng, 2021). For ex‐
ample, Condon and Maxwell (2013) established the hydrology-
agriculture-economic and water resources-economic-hydrology mod‐
els and applied them to the Maipo watershed in Chile, to ensure the
effective utilization of water resources as well as agricultural irriga‐
tion and economic development in line with the hydrological condi‐
tions. Dadmand et al. (2020) introduced the robust fuzzy stochastic
programming model for water resource allocation and utilization un‐
der water shortage conditions. They applied their model to the agri‐
cultural, urban, and industrial water sectors in Mashhad, northeastern
Iran, and achieved the goal of the minimum loss of water shortage
and the maximum profit of different consumption sectors. Further, to
achieve the goals of the equity and risk control, Hu et al. (2016) and
Feng (2021) proposed a model of water resource utilization using
Gini coefficient and conditional value-at-risk.
Second, scholars have explored water resource systems from the
perspective of the stakeholders ’ interests, especially the interaction
and cooperation mechanisms (Read et al., 2014; Roozbahani et al,
2014; Davijani et al., 2016; Liu et al., 2020). For example, to improve
the stability and feasibility of water resource allocation and utiliza‐
tion, Read et al. (2014) developed an economic power index alloca‐
tion method, which can effectively simulate the negotiation process
of water resources ’ stakeholders. A high degree of cooperation im‐
plies a balanced water allocation to stakeholders, since the shortage
in water supply to any stakeholder will have negative impacts on oth‐
ers. Roozbahani et al. (2014) proposed a multi-objective optimization
model for sharing water resources among stakeholders of a trans‐
boundary river. They transformed the multi-objective formulation to
a three-step single objective formulation. Their solution guarantees
that each stakeholder ’ s profit is larger than a percentage of its high‐
est possible profit obtained in the case when the percentage of profit
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Chinese Journal of Population, Resources and Environment 20 (2022) 261–269
is equal for all stakeholders. Davijani et al. (2016) constructed a two-
objective socioeconomic model (aimed at job creation) for the opti‐
mal allocation of water resources to industrial, agricultural, and mu‐
nicipal water sectors. They specified the combined objective function
for the agricultural stakeholders, based on the production functions,
areas under cultivation, product yield, and the income obtained from
each product. Meanwhile, the demand function of the industrial stake‐
holders was determined regionally, based on the amount of produced
products as well as the prices of supplied water and other supplies.
Based on the seasonal demand, time and space characteristics, and
net utility difference of water resource utilization in the Lancang river
and Mekong river basins, Liu et al. (2020) presented a fuzzy alliance
game model of water resource utilization to strengthen transnational
multi-agent cooperation.
Third, scholars have studied how to promote the transformation,
optimization, and upgrading of industrial structures, thereby improv‐
ing the adaptability of water resources and industrial development
(Mohammad et al., 2011; Zhang et al., 2020; Syme, 2014; Null and
Prudencio, 2016). For example, Mohammad et al. (2011) introduced
the optimal mode, mechanism, path, and optimal simulation model
between water usage structure and industrial structures. To achieve
bidirectional optimization of regional industrial structures and water
usage structure, Zhang et al. (2020) established the multi-objective in‐
terval two-stage stochastic programming (ITSP) model for the optimal
allocation of water resources and industrial structures. According to
the idea of adaptive management, Syme et al. (2014) introduced a
method for water resource allocation and utilization, adapted to the
behavior of collective agricultural water users. Moreover, Null and
Prudencio (2016) developed an adaptive mechanism of water re‐
source allocation under climate change. By combining international
literatures and learning from practical results, valuable insights can
be obtained regarding the adaptability of water resource and social-
ecological systems in China.
As the leading and restricting factor impacting China ’ s regional
eco-social development, the key to optimal water resource allocation
and utilization lies in effectively improving the adaptability of the
water resource system and promoting eco-social development
through innovative ideas, relatively complete policy tools, and opera‐
tional technical methods. China ’ s government management depart‐
ments and academia have innovatively proposed a political consulta‐
tion mechanism for water resources allocation (Wang, 2000; Hu and
Wang, 2000). Additionally, many Chinese researchers have investi‐
gated how to promote effective allocation and utilization of river ba‐
sin water resources , such as the Yellow river and Songliao river ba‐
sins. Moreover, they established a relatively complete framework for
the principles of water resource allocation, including the principles
of prioritizing domestic water supply, ensuring food security, show‐
ing respect for history and status quo, promoting sustainable develop‐
ment, leaving excess, and achieving ecological water security (Hu
and Ge, 2004; Wang et al., 2004; Wang et al., 2006). Simultaneously,
they emphasized the “two-handed” efforts by the government and
the market. On the one hand, through the innovative ideas and sys‐
tems of water resource management, a strict evaluation system for
water resource management was established and improved, and the
dual control of total water consumption and intensity was strength‐
ened. On the other hand, the practical exploration of water rights
trading was carried out vigorously to improve the efficiency of water
usage (Wang, 2014).
Furthermore, to realize the efficient utilization of water resources
and accelerate the optimization and upgrading of industrial struc‐
tures, scholars have proposed methods to strengthen dual control ac‐
tions and established multi-objective optimization models to explore
the optimal direction of industrial structures under the constraints of
water resources through the interactive feedback between water de‐
mand of industrial structures and eco-social development indicators
(Wu and Tian, 2011; Xu, 2013; Zhang et al., 2015; Wu, 2018). For ex‐
D. WU et al.
ample, Wu and Tian (2011) developed a multi-objective optimal
model for the coordination of Ningxia ’ s industrial structures and wa‐
ter usage structure. Zhang et al. (2015) applied a system dynamics
model to dynamically simulate the changes in water supply and de‐
mand as well as water usage structure in Jiangsu province. They pro‐
posed the optimal framework for water usage structure and industrial
structures under total water consumption control. Wu (2018) intro‐
duced a master-slave hierarchical decision-making model for the bi-
directional optimization of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s water resource sys‐
tem and industrial structures. They achieved the goal of optimizing
Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s overall industrial structures and maximizing
the benefits of water resource utilization. Moreover, other researchers
have constructed a set of evaluation criteria to evaluate the adaptabil‐
ity of water resources and the social-ecological system (Chen et al.,
2018; Zhi et al., 2020; Zhang et al., 2021). For example, Chen et al.
(2018) selected representative indicators (e.g., water resource utiliza‐
tion, regional development, and ecological environment) to evaluate
the adaptability of water resource allocation and regional economic
development for different provinces in China. Zhi et al. (2020) pro‐
posed a regional “water-energy-food” model, as an adaptability evalu‐
ation system in China, based on the driver-pressure-state-impact-
response (DPSIR) framework. Zhang et al. (2020) developed an adap‐
tation method to measure the degree and direction of synchronous
change in water usage structure and advanced industrial structures in
river basins. They identified the spatiotemporal differentiation charac‐
teristics as well as the contribution rates and average dynamic change
rates of regions and sub-regions. Li et al. (2021) applied TOPSIS and
coupling coordinative degree methods to quantitatively evaluate the
adaptative utilization capacity of water resources in the Tarim river
basin, and clarified the matching characteristics of water resources
and economic development. Regarding the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei re‐
gion, research has been conducted on the coupling relationship be‐
tween water resources, energy, and food (Li et al. 2016), the decou‐
pling evaluation of water resource utilization and economic develop‐
ment (Wu et al., 2021), and the spatiotemporal changes in industrial
structures and water usage structure as well as their driving factors
(Wu, 2018; Yan et al., 2018; Liu et al., 2019; Li et al., 2020; Cao and
Fang, 2020).
The research ideas and methods of the existing literatures pro‐
vide an important reference for exploring the adaptability of Beijing-
Tianjin-Hebei ’ s water resource social-ecological systems as well as op‐
timizing Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s water resource allocation pattern.
From the perspective of systems theory, practice shows that the ad‐
aptative process of water resource social-ecological systems conforms
Figure 1. The adaptative process: Interactions between the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s water resource system and the constituent social-ecological systems
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Chinese Journal of Population, Resources and Environment 20 (2022) 261–269
to the DPSIR framework However, few studies have adopted this per‐
spective. Therefore, based on the DPSIR framework, this study con‐
structs an evaluation system to investigate the adaptability mecha‐
nisms of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s water resource social-ecological sys‐
tems and identifies the spatiotemporal differentiation characteristics
of the region. Then, we propose countermeasures and provide recom‐
mendations for improving the adaptability of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s
water resource system based on the characteristics of the constituent
social-ecological systems.
2. Methodology
2.1. The adaptative mechanism and evaluation index system of water re‐
source social-ecological systems
The adaptative process of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s water resource
social-ecological systems is as follows: the social-ecological systems
comprising the water resource system interact with each other. On
the one hand, water supply provides favorable support for social-
ecological systems, while the development of social-ecological sys‐
tems increases water demand and put pressure on water resources.
On the other hand, water resource management means (e.g., scientific
and technological innovation of water conservancy architectures, wa‐
ter conservancy policies, water market, and the optimization of the
supply and demand structure of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s water re‐
source system) promote the balanced and coordinated development
of the three major constituent social-ecological systems (i. e., eco‐
nomic, social, and ecological systems). Figure 1 shows the adaptative
process of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s water resource social-ecological
systems.
Figure 1 illustrates the adaptative process of the interactions be‐
tween Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s water resource system and constituent
social-ecological systems in line with the DPSIR framework. Further,
the interaction mechanisms between the water resource system and
the constituent social-ecological system is shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2 shows the interaction mechanisms between the water re‐
source system and constituent social-ecological systems. These mecha‐
nisms follow the ideas of “prioritizing water-saving, spatial balance,
systematic governance, and two-handed efforts”. The objectives are
controlling water consumption, giving full play to the role of govern‐
ment guidance and market regulation, optimizing the supply and de‐
mand structure of the water resource system, improving the level of
intensive utilization of water resources, coordinating efforts to pro‐
mote the optimal layout of industrial structures, constructing a water-
D. WU et al. Chinese Journal of Population, Resources and Environment 20 (2022) 261–269

saving society, controlling environmental pollution, and maintaining
the social-ecological systems. Through the systematic governance of
these three major constituent systems (i.e., economic, social, and eco‐
logical systems), the adaptability of the water resource system can be
significantly improved, leading to balanced development of the re‐
gion.
From Figure 2, the key factors influencing the water resource sys‐
tem can be identified based on the state, sensitive factors, and gover‐
nance of the three major constituent social-ecological systems. There‐
fore, we systematically designed an evaluation index system to assess
the adaptability of the water resource system based on the main fac‐
tors affecting the constituent social-ecological systems, as shown in
Table 1, combined with the principles of scientific research, dynam‐
ics, data availability, and hierarchy.

Table 1
The adaptability evaluation index system for Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s water resource system and the constituent social-ecological systems based on the DPSIR
framework
Evaluation Identification
Evaluation index Index unit Reasons for choosing indexes
system factor
It reflects the basic carrying capacity of regional water resource sys‐
per capita water resources m3/person
tem
Yuan /
State factors per capita GDP It reflects the level of regional economic development
person
The value-added of the tertiary industry as a pro‐
% It reflects the optimal level of regional industrial structure
portion of GDP
It reflects the comprehensive impact on water usage efficiency of re‐
Water consumption per 10,000 yuan of GDP m3/million
gional economic development
Water consumption per 10,000 yuan of industrial
m3/million It reflects the impact on regional industrial water usage efficiency
Economic value-added
Impact factors
system Water consumption per 10, 000 yuan of value- It reflects the impact on regional tertiary industry water usage effi‐
m3/million
added of the tertiary industry ciency
It reflects the impact on regional comprehensive water usage effi‐
Comprehensive water consumption per capita m3/person
ciency
It strengthens water usage control for regional economic develop‐
The proportion of economic water consumption %
ment
Matching degree between industrial water usage It strengthens the bi-directional optimization of regional industrial
Responsefactors -
structure and industrial structures water usage structure and industrial structure
Water conservancy investment as a percentage of It strengthens economic support capacity of water conservancy infra‐
%
fixed asset investment structure
population growth rate % It reflects the state of population growth in the region
urbanization rate % It reflects the level of social development in the region
State factors
person/ It reflects the population carrying capacity of the land area in the re‐
Population density
km2 gion
It reflects the impact on regional domestic water usage efficiency for
Domestic water consumption per capita m3/person
Social residents
system It reflects the impact on regional water usage efficiency in agricul‐
Impact factors Water consumption per unit irrigated area m3/mu
tural irrigation
It reflects the impact on water usage efficiency in regional food pro‐
Water consumption per unit of food production m3/ton
duction
The proportion of domestic water consumption % It strengthens regional domestic water consumption control
Responsefactors
The proportion of agricultural water consumption % It strengthens regional agricultural water consumption control
Average annual precipitation mm It reflects the precipitation status of the region
State factors
Forest cover rate % It reflects the basic state of natural system in the region
Wastewater discharge per 10,000 yuan of GDP t/million It reflects the impact on regional wastewater discharge performance
Impact factors
COD emissions per 10,000 yuan of GDP t/million It reflects the impact on regional pollutant discharge performance
It strengthens the adjustment of regional ecological water consump‐
The proportion of ecological water consumption %
tion
The proportion of surface water supply % It strengthens regional surface water resource utilization control
Ecological
system The proportion of groundwater supply % It strengthens regional groundwater exploitation control
It strengthens the recycling and utilization of regional water re‐
Response fac‐ The proportion of unconventional water supply %
source system
tors
Local fiscal expenditure on environmental protec‐ It strengthens investment in environmental protection by regional
%
tion as a percentage of GDP government
thousand
The proportion of soil erosion control area It strengthens regional soil erosion control
ha
Wastewater treatment rate % It strengthens regional wastewater treatment

Notes:1 ha = 15 mu

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2.2. The evaluation model for the adaptability of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei’ s
water resource system based on the social-ecological systems
Based on Table 1, the TOPSIS model was applied to calculate the
adaptability of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s water resource economic, so‐
cial, and ecological systems in different periods. Then, the comprehen‐
sive adaptability of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s water resource system
was calculated in different periods. The formula is as follows:
tween index k and the ideal and negative ideal values of the index in
region i in period t, respectively. Among them, x αik = (111) and x βik =
(000) are the “ideal value” and “negative ideal value” of index k
in region i , respectively. x itk is the standardized index value, c itk is the
original data value of the index, ① standardization of positive indica‐
c
tors: x itk = T itk ; ② standardization of reverse indexes: x itk =
( )
max c itk
t=1

( )
T

( )
1 min c itk
F it = t=1
;③ standardization of unconventional indexes: If the popula‐
( ) c itk
2
d it x itk x αik
1+ tion growth rate is negative in period t, its standardized value can be
(
d it x itk x βik ) set to the value in the period t - 1. w k represents the weight of index k.
ì To reduce the interference of human factors, the weight of the index
( )= ∑
n
ïï d x x α w 2k (x itk - x αik )2 is determined by the hierarchical equal weight method.
ïï it itk ik k=1
ïï （1）
ïï 3. Results and discussion on the adaptability of Beijing-Tianjin-
( ) = ∑w (x
n
ïï d it x itk x βik 2
-x )
β 2

í k=1
k itk ik Hebei ’ s water resource and social-ecological system
ï
ïï α
(x )
T
ïï x ik = maxt=1
itk We obtained data on water resources in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei
ïï region for the period (2000 − 2020) from the “China Water Conser‐
ïï β
(x )
T
ïî x ik = min
t=1
itk vancy Statistical Yearbook”, “China Water Resources Bulletin”, “Bei‐
jing Water Resources Bulletin”, “Tianjin Water Resources Bulletin”,
Where, F it is the adaptability degree of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s “Hebei Water Resources Bulletin”, “Beijing Environmental Status Bul‐
water resource system in region i in period t. A larger F it value indi‐ letin”, “Tianjin Environmental Status Bulletin”, and “Hebei Environ‐
cates a greater adaptability degree of the water resource system in re‐ mental Status Bulletin”. We collected the data on Beijing-Tianjin-
( ) ( )
gion i in period t; d it x itk x αik ，d it x itk x βik represent the distances be‐ Hebei ’ s social-ecological development for the period (2000 − 2020)

Figure 2. The interaction mechanisms between Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei's water resource system and the constituent social-ecological systems based on the DPSIR
framework

265
D. WU et al. Chinese Journal of Population, Resources and Environment 20 (2022) 261–269

from China Statistical Yearbook, Beijing Statistical Yearbook, Tianjin Sta‐
tistical Yearbook, and Hebei Statistical Yearbook. Then, using formula
(1), we calculated the adaptability degree of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s
water resource system as well as the constituent social-ecological sys‐
tems from 2000 to 2020, as shown in Figure 3.
In Figure 3, with the changes in state factors in the Beijing-
Tianjin-Hebei region, such as per capita GDP, per capita water re‐
sources, urbanization level, and precipitation, the pressure of water
resource system can be alleviated through measures, such as optimiz‐
ing water supply structure, upgrading industrial structure, promot‐
ing agricultural water saving, increasing water usage efficiency, and
controlling water pollution. Further, using these measures, the water
environment pollution of the ecological system can be reduced and
the entire water usage efficiency of the social-ecological systems can
be improved, thus improving the adaptability of Beijing-Tianjin-
Hebei ’ s water resource system as well as the social-ecological sys‐
tems. From 2000 to 2020, the adaptability of water resource social-
ecological systems in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei increased from
0.433, 0.445, and 0.509 to 0.962, 0.895 and 0.933, with average an‐
nual growth rates of 4.08%, 3.55%, and 3.08% respectively. Among
them, the overall change trend of adaptability in Beijing and Tianjin
was similar for all social-ecological systems, while the trend in He‐
bei Province showed significant spatiotemporal differences. More‐
over, the water resource ecological system had the fastest adaptabil‐
ity growth rate in the region, whereas the social system had the
slowest growth rate (in Figure 4).
3.1. Stage characteristics and economic analysis of the adaptability of wa‐
ter resource social-ecological systems in Beijing
According to Figures 3 and 4, the adaptability degree of Beijing ’ s
water resource economic and ecological systems increased rapidly
from 2000 to 2020, while that of the social system increased steadily.
From 2000 to 2020, the average annual growth rates of the adaptabil‐
ity of water resource economic, social, and ecological systems were
4.61%, 2.25%, and 6.18%, respectively.
① From 2000 to 2007, the proportion of agricultural water usage
dropped significantly, whereas the water usage efficiency for domes‐
tic water consumption and farmland irrigation increased significantly.
The adaptability of the water resource social system was always
higher than that of the economic and ecological systems. Simultane‐
ously, the water usage efficiency of the economic system rapidly im‐
proved, and the matching degree between industrial water usage
structure and industrial structures continuously improved, and the ad‐
justment of water supply structure and the control of water pollution
intensified. The growth rate of the adaptability of the water resource
economic and ecological systems was much higher than that of the so‐
cial system. The average annual growth rates of the adaptability of
the water resource economic, social, and ecological systems were
6.85%, 0.93%, and 7.56%, respectively.

Figure 3. The adaptability degree of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei's water resource system and constituent social-ecological systems from 2000 to 2020

Figure 4. Average annual growth rates of the adaptability of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s water resource social-ecological systems from 2000 to 2020

266
D. WU et al.
② From 2008 to 2015, by accelerating the transformation and
upgrading of industrial structures as well as improving water usage ef‐
ficiency of the economic system, the adaptability of the water re‐
source economic system rapidly improved, beyond that of the social
system since 2010. Although the adaptability of the water resource
ecological system was still the lowest, local fiscal environmental pro‐
tection expenditure and water ecosystem governance increased due to
the further optimization of water supply structure. Additionally, the
adaptability of the water resource ecological system increased rap‐
idly, with a growth rate of 4.99%, which was significantly higher
than that of the economic and social systems. Compared to the period
(2000-2007), there was no significant change in the domestic water
consumption efficiency. However, water usage efficiency of farmland
irrigation increased slightly, resulting in a slight improvement of the
adaptability of the water resource social system.
③ From 2016 to 2020, by intensifying the construction of the
water-saving society and further improving water usage efficiency for
daily lives and agricultural irrigation, the adaptability of the water re‐
source social system increased rapidly, reaching 4.77%. Simultane‐
ously, by strengthening the governance of the water ecosystem, the
adaptability of the water resource ecological system increased the
fastest, reaching 6.18%. Moreover, the gap between the adaptability
of water resource ecological system and that of the economic and so‐
cial systems gradually narrowed. By 2020, the three major systems de‐
veloped in a balanced manner. Specifically, the adaptability of the wa‐
ter resource economic, social, and ecological systems maintained a
high level of 0.981, 0.956, and 0.945, respectively.
3.2. Stage characteristics and economic analysis of the adaptability of wa‐
ter resource social-ecological systems in Tianjin
According to Figures 3 and 4, from 2000 to 2020, the adaptabil‐
ity of Tianjin's water resource economic and ecological systems rap‐
idly increased, while that of the social system volatility increased.
The average annual growth rates of the adaptability of water resource
economic, social, and ecological systems were 4.16%, 1.88% and
5.81%, respectively.
① From 2000 to 2007, although the water supply was insuffi‐
cient, the proportion of agricultural water consumption increased. Ad‐
ditionally, the water usage efficiency of farmland irrigation was not
significantly improved. However, the water usage efficiency for daily
lives increased significantly, whereas the proportion of domestic wa‐
ter consumption decreased, resulting in smooth fluctuations in the
adaptability of the water resource social system. Simultaneously, al‐
though the adaptability of the water resource social system was rela‐
tively low, the adaptability of the water resource economic and eco‐
logical systems both grew faster, reaching 5.76% and 5.20%, respec‐
tively, due to the significant improvement of economic water usage ef‐
ficiency, increased investment in water conservancy infrastructure,
the adjustment of water supply structure, and increased efforts to con‐
trol water pollution.
② From 2008 to 2015, by accelerating the transformation and
upgrading of industrial structures, improving economic water usage ef‐
ficiency, improving the matching degree between industrial water us‐
age structure and industrial structures, strengthening the governance
of water ecosystem, and optimizing water supply structure, the
growth rate of the adaptability of the water resource economic and
ecological systems reached 5.84% and 8.22%, respectively, thus being
significantly higher than that of social system, reaching 5.84% and
8.22%, respectively. Compared to the period (2000-2007), although
water usage efficiency for daily lives and farmland irrigation had not
changed significantly, the adaptability of the water resource social sys‐
tem was still rising steadily due to the increase in urbanization rate
and the decline in the proportion of agricultural water consumption.
By 2015, the adaptability of the water resource economic, social, and
ecological systems increased to 0.928, 0.698, and 0.712, respectively.
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Chinese Journal of Population, Resources and Environment 20 (2022) 261–269
③ From 2016 to 2020, by devoting more efforts to the construc‐
tion of a water-saving society, improving water usage efficiency for
daily life and agricultural irrigation, and reducing the proportion of
agricultural water consumption, the adaptability of the water re‐
source social system rapidly improved, reaching and maintaining the
highest level among the three major systems. Owing to the decline in
economic water usage efficiency, the adaptability of the water re‐
source economic system decreased slightly. Simultaneously, by fur‐
ther strengthening the governance of water ecosystem and optimizing
water supply structure, the adaptability of the water resource ecologi‐
cal system improved. By 2020, the three major constituent systems of
economy, society, and ecology have developed in a relatively bal‐
anced manner. Specifically, the adaptability of the water resource eco‐
nomic, social, and ecological systems maintained a high level at
0.899, 0.965, and 0.822, respectively.
3.3. Stage characteristics and economic analysis of the adaptability of the
water resource social-ecological systems in Hebei
According to Figures 3 and 4, from 2000 to 2020, the adaptabil‐
ity of the water resource economic and ecological systems in Hebei in‐
creased rapidly, whereas that of the social system achieved and main‐
tained the highest level. The average annual growth rates of the wa‐
ter resource economic, social, and ecological systems were 4.04%,
1.72%, and 3.75% respectively.
① From 2000 to 2007, although Hebei had a high water consump‐
tion for agricultural irrigation, with the rapid increase in urbanization
rate, the gradual decline in the proportion of agricultural water con‐
sumption, the gradual increase in water usage efficiency for daily lives
and farmland irrigation, and the rapid increase in water usage effi‐
ciency for food production, the adaptability of the water resource so‐
cial system increased rapidly from 0.688 to 0.818, which was signifi‐
cantly higher than that of the economic and ecological systems. Simul‐
taneously, the adaptability of the water resource economic and ecologi‐
cal systems increased rapidly owing to the rapid improvement of eco‐
nomic water usage efficiency, water conservancy investment, and wa‐
ter pollution control. Their growth rates were significantly higher than
that of the social system, reaching 3.20% and 4.11%, respectively.
② From 2008 to 2015, by adjusting industrial structures, improv‐
ing economic water usage efficiency, strengthening the governance of
the water ecosystem, and optimizing the water supply structure, the
adaptability of the water resource economic and ecological systems
were significantly improved, and their growth rates were significantly
higher than that of the social system. Compared to the period (2000-
2007), owing to the further improvement in the water usage effi‐
ciency for domestic water consumption, farmland irrigation, and food
production, as well as the further decline in the proportion of agricul‐
tural water consumption, the adaptability of the water resource social
system remained stable, while that of the economic and ecological
systems maintained a high level.
③ From 2016 to 2020, by improving economic water usage effi‐
ciency and strengthening the governance of water ecosystem, the
adaptability of the water resource economic and ecological systems
rapidly improved, while that of the social system experienced a
steady increase. By 2020, both economic and social systems have de‐
veloped in a balanced way, and the adaptability of water resources
for both maintained a high level of 0.980, and 0.968, respectively,
with minimal differences. Affected by the performance of water pollu‐
tion discharge, the adaptability of the water resource ecological sys‐
tem decreased to 0.851.
4. Conclusion and policy recommendations
4.1. Conclusion
Based on the DPSIR framework, we identified the key factors in‐
D. WU et al.
fluencing the adaptability of the water resource system based on the
three major constituent social-ecological systems (i. e., economic, so‐
cial, and ecological systems). Then, we designed an evaluation index
system for the adaptability of the water resource social-ecological sys‐
tems. The TOPSIS model was applied to evaluate the adaptability of
Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s water resource system and the constituent
social-ecological systems and identify the spatiotemporal differentia‐
tion characteristics of the region. By doing so, it can help us better de‐
tect the existing problems in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s water resource
system.
For Beijing, our results showed that ① the “state factors” of per
capita GDP and per capita water resources and the “impact factors”
of water consumption per 10 000 yuan of GDP, water consumption
per 10 000 yuan of industrial value-added, and water consumption
per 10 000 yuan of tertiary industrial value-added had a significant
impact on the adaptability of Beijing ’ s water resource economic sys‐
tem; ② the “impact factor” of water consumption per unit irrigation
area and the “response factor” of agricultural water consumption had
a significant impact on the adaptability of Beijing ’ s water resource so‐
cial system; ③ the “state factor” of annual precipitation, the “impact
factors” of wastewater emissions per 10 000 yuan of GDP and the
COD emissions per 10 000 yuan of GDP, and the "response factors" of
the proportion of ecological water consumption and the proportion of
unconventional water supply had a significant impact on the adapt‐
ability of Beijing ’ s water resource ecological system.
For Tianjin, our results demonstrated that ① the “state factors”
of per capita GDP and per capita water resources, and the “impact fac‐
tors” of water consumption per 10 000 yuan of GDP, water consump‐
tion per 10 000 yuan of industrial value-added, and water consump‐
tion per 10 000 yuan of tertiary industrial value-added had a signifi‐
cant impact on the adaptability of Tianjin ’ s water resource economic
system; ② the “impact factors” of per capita domestic water consump‐
tion, water consumption per unit irrigation area, and water consump‐
tion per unit of grain production, and the “response factor” of agricul‐
tural water consumption had a significant impact on the adaptability
of Tianjin ’ s water resource social system; ③ the “state factor” of an‐
nual precipitation, the “impact factors” of wastewater emissions per
10 000 yuan of GDP and COD emissions per 10 000 yuan of GDP, and
the “response factors” of the proportion of ecological water consump‐
tion, the proportion of unconventional water supply, the proportion
of local fiscal environmental protection expenditure to GDP, and the
proportion of soil erosion control area had a significant impact on the
adaptability of Tianjin ’ s water resource ecological system.
For Hebei, our findings showed that ① the “state factor” of per
capita GDP and per capita water resources, the “impact factors” of wa‐
ter consumption per 10 000 yuan of GDP, water consumption per
10 000 yuan of industrial value-added, and water consumption per
10 000 yuan of tertiary industrial value-added, and the “response fac‐
tors” of the proportion of water conservancy investment in fixed as‐
sets investment had a significant impact on the adaptability of Hebei ’ s
water resource economic system; ② the “state factor” of urbanization
rate and the “impact factor” of water consumption per unit irrigation
area had a significant impact on the adaptability of Hebei ’ s water re‐
source social system; ③ the “state factor” of annual precipitation, the
“impact factors” of wastewater emissions per 10 000 yuan of GDP and
COD emissions per 10 000 yuan of GDP, and the “response factors” of
the proportion of ecological water consumption, the proportion of sur‐
face water supply, the proportion of unconventional water supply, the
proportion of local fiscal environmental protection expenditure in
GDP, and the rate of waste treatment had a significant impact on the
adaptability of Hebei ’ s water resource ecological system.
4.2. Policy recommendations
Based on the evaluation results for the adaptability of Beijing-
Tianjin-Hebei ’ s water resource system and the constituent social-
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Chinese Journal of Population, Resources and Environment 20 (2022) 261–269
ecological systems as well as the economic development characteris‐
tics of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, it is urgent to establish a list
of water resources, sort out the spatiotemporal distribution of water
resources, and identify the characteristics of water resource flow in
the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Furthermore, to optimize the overall
layout of water resource allocation and promote the coordinated man‐
agement of water resources in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, we
put forward the following countermeasures and recommendations to
improve the adaptability of the water resource system and the con‐
stituent social-ecological systems in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region,
considering local conditions.
4.2.1 Countermeasures for improving the adaptability of the water re‐
source system to the economic system in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region
In response to the pressure of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s economic
system on the water resource system, first, it is of critical importance
to accelerate the establishment of a rigid system for water resource al‐
location in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, reinforce the water re‐
source management system, and formulate dual-control action plans
for industrial water saving to strengthen the control of tertiary indus‐
trial and total water consumption. Second, it is urgent to promote the
optimization and upgrading of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s industrial
structures, foster the development of tertiary industry as well as high-
end industries with low water consumption and energy consumption,
improve production processes, and increase the investments in water-
saving technologies to reduce water consumption. Third, we have to
improve the water market, optimize water resource allocation of
Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s industrial structures through water rights
transfer systems, and optimize industrial water usage structure in
Tianjin and Hebei to improve the matching degree between industrial
water usage structure and industrial structures. Moreover, it is of
enormous significance to further improve the water rights trading sys‐
tem, enhance the efficiency of water resources ’ transformation, and
effectively decrease water consumption per 10 000 yuan of GDP, wa‐
ter consumption per 10 000 yuan of industrial value-added, and wa‐
ter consumption per 10 000 yuan of tertiary industrial value-added in
the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. In addition, we have to increase in‐
vestment in water conservancy infrastructure, improve Beijing-
Tianjin-Hebei ’ s water supply guarantee system using novel technolo‐
gies, and increase per capita water resources. Ultimately, these coun‐
termeasures will reduce the pressure of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s eco‐
nomic system on the water resource system that is, they will improve
the adaptability of the water resource system to Beijing-Tianjin-
Hebei ’ s economic system.
4.2.2 Countermeasures for improving the adaptability of the water re‐
source system to the social system in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region
In response to the pressure of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s social sys‐
tem on the water resource system, first, it is urgent to improve agri‐
cultural water conservancy technologies in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei
region, increase investments in agricultural irrigation technology, re‐
place high-water-consuming crops with low-water-consuming crops,
and raise the water usage efficiency for agricultural irrigation to re‐
duce water consumption per unit of irrigation area. Moreover, it is of
considerable importance to reduce the pressure of agricultural irriga‐
tion on the water resource system and accelerate urbanization in He‐
bei. Second, it is of great significance to improve water usage effi‐
ciency in grain production and reduce water consumption per unit of
grain production in Tianjin. Further, it is urgent to increase efforts to
construct a water-saving society in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region,
improve the tiered water price system for residents, moderately in‐
crease the tiered water price for daily lives, and reasonably regulate
the per capita domestic water consumption. Ultimately, these measures
will reduce the pressure of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s social system on the
water resource system, that is, they will improve the adaptability of the
water resource system to Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s social system.
D. WU et al.
4.2.3 Countermeasures for improving the adaptability of the water re‐
source to the ecological system in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region
In response to the pressure of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s ecological
system on the water resource system, first, it is urgent to improve the
region ’ s water supply guarantee system using innovative technolo‐
gies, mitigate the negative impact of climate change on precipitation,
and increase Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s ecological water supply through
the south–north water transfer project. Second, we have to effectively
control the utilization of surface water resources, reduce the amount
of groundwater exploitation, and increase groundwater recharge to
achieve a balance between groundwater extraction and replenish‐
ment. Simultaneously, it is urgent to increase the utilization of re‐
claimed water resources and seawater desalination in the Tianjin-
Hebei region, using sewage recycling and seawater desalination tech‐
nologies. Additionally, it is of utmost importance to incorporate the
performance of water pollution discharge into the government assess‐
ment system of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, strictly control the
bottom line of water environment quality and the red line of water
ecological protection, and resolutely avoid the transfer of water pollu‐
tion while undertaking the transfer of industries in the region, thus ef‐
fectively reducing wastewater discharge per 10 000 yuan of GDP and
COD emissions per 10 000 yuan of GDP in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei
region. Moreover, policymakers have to increase local financial envi‐
ronmental protection expenditures in the Tianjin-Hebei region and im‐
prove the waste treatment rate. Ultimately, these measures will re‐
duce the pressure of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s ecological system on the
water resource system, that is, they will improve the adaptability of
the water resource system to Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ’ s ecological sys‐
tem.
Funding
This paper was supported by the Humanities and Social Science
Foundation of Ministry of Education “Research on the optimal adapt‐
ability of basin initial water rights and industrial structures under the
rigid constraints of water resource” [Grant number: 21YJCZH176];
and Beijing Municipal Natural Science Foundation of China “Research
on Bi-directional optimal adaptability of water resource and indus‐
trial structures under the coordinated development of the Beijing-
Tianjin-Hebei region” [Grant number: 9202005].
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
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