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Evaluation of Groundwater Overdraft Governance Measures in Hengshui City, China

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  • Yong Zhao

    (State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China)

  • Lizhen Wang

    (State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China)

  • Haihong Li

    (State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China)

  • Yongnan Zhu

    (State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China)

  • Qingming Wang

    (State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China)

  • Shan Jiang

    (State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China)

  • Jiaqi Zhai

    (State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China)

  • Peng Hu

    (State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China)

Abstract

Groundwater overdraft is a worldwide phenomenon, resulting in environmental issues, such as water contamination, land subsidence, seawater intrusion, streamflow reduction, and deterioration of the ecological environment. Located in the central North China Plain, Hengshui City has experienced a regional groundwater depression cone due to excessive pumping of groundwater, resulting in the largest overdraft area in the North China Plain. Since 2014, Hebei Province has adopted measures to realize the comprehensive governance of groundwater overdraft in partial areas of Hengshui City, including adjusting planting structures, promoting agronomic water-saving techniques, strengthening hydraulic engineering construction, and innovative management systems. These measures have been in effect for two years, such that their effectiveness must be assessed for the beneficial recovery of groundwater levels to determine the means for their continuation and extension. However, the change in regional groundwater levels is not gradual, but reflects a process of sudden increase due to the intervention of government behavior, and many existing groundwater recharge models are difficult to apply. Therefore, establishing a reasonable, scientific evaluation system of the measures is a key problem that requires a solution. Using field surveys and experiments, this study establishes a quantitative analysis evaluation method to assess the performance of governance measures adopted by Hengshui City in 2015, with full consideration of the crop water demand process and rainfall frequency. The results show that governance measures had a significant positive outcome on reducing groundwater overdraft in pilot areas. Approximately 98.4% of the agricultural governance target was achieved, with confined groundwater rebounding by approximately 4.92 m as compared to 2015. According to the analysis, the three most efficient measures (the top three largest amounts of groundwater-saved per mu) adopted by the government were (1) non-agricultural crops replacement (forestry), (2) planting pattern adjustments, and (3) integration of water and fertilizer-vegetable, which can be promoted in future measures. However, considering the size of the implementation area and total governance capacity, water-saving during spring irrigation of wheat and replacement by surface water are the two most important conservation measures, which are required to further strengthen the management and implementation effect.

Suggested Citation

  • Yong Zhao & Lizhen Wang & Haihong Li & Yongnan Zhu & Qingming Wang & Shan Jiang & Jiaqi Zhai & Peng Hu, 2020. "Evaluation of Groundwater Overdraft Governance Measures in Hengshui City, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-19, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:9:p:3564-:d:351207
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jonathan Lautze & Sanjiv de Silva & Mark Giordano & Luke Sanford, 2011. "Putting the cart before the horse: Water governance and IWRM," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 35, pages 1-8, February.
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    3. Molle, F., 2003. "Development trajectories of river basins: a conceptual framework," IWMI Research Reports H033886, International Water Management Institute.
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