Water, as one of the essential natural resources, is vital for the growth of any region. How much water a city has access to and how water is distributed is a crucial part of sustainable development.
Therefore, it is important to assess how well a city can manage its water resources to develop the economy in a more environmentally friendly way.
Suzhou, a city in eastern China, has abundant water resources and complex water systems. Almost half of the city’s area is covered in water. It is also an important industrial development zone in the Yangtze River Delta region and has undergone rapid urbanisation. This makes it challenging for the authorities to manage water resources and the increasing demand for water while controlling sewage and pollution.
Read More: Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
Researchers have studied the water environmental carrying capacity of Suzhou over 20 years and found that it has increased. (Photo Credit: Yi Qian)