LAUSR

Water resources are an important aspect of China’s ecological governance. Due to the uneven spatial distribution of water resources in China, it is necessary to analyze the differences in the sustainable development level of water resources in different regions. This article combines the national policies of “promoting the coordinated development of the three waters” and “integration of people, city, industry, and economy” to construct an evaluation index system for the sustainable development of water resources in China using the water resources carrying capacity (WRCC). The spatial and temporal differentiation characteristics of water resources sustainable development in 31 provinces of China are analyzed. The results show that (1) the level of sustainable development of China’s water resources has significantly increased, with the index increasing from 6.229 in 2005 to 9.792 in 2021. (2) The spatial pattern of China’s WRCC shows an increasing trend from west to east and from north to south, and the aggregation status is obvious and fluctuates during the entire study period. (3) Currently, the strength of the expenditure of research and development funds for industrial enterprises and the sewage treatment capacity continue to increase, and the interaction between different factors shows a two-factor enhancement or nonlinear enhancement. To further improve the level of sustainable development of water resources, each province needs to formulate development plans based on local conditions and promote the coordinated development of industrial restructuring, environmental governance, and water resources development.