Adaptability of water resources development and utilization to social-economy system in Hunan province, China

The interplay of water resources with social-economy spheres involves a reciprocal feedback mechanism. With the acceleration of the construction process of modernized water networks in Hunan Province, investigating the adaptation status of the "Water-Social-Economy " composite system (WSE) is crucial for promoting sustainability. This study clarifies the connotation of the adaptability of WSE, and the quantitative analyses were conducted through coupling coordinative degree, harmonious development capacity, and the evolution of development lag types among the 14 cities of Hunan Province from 2005 to 2020. The results show that: (1) The development index of the water resources subsystem (WRS) showed a “downward-fluctuation-upward” trend, while the development index of the social-economy subsystem (SES) showed signs of great improvement, the former didn’t catch up with the latter. (2) The coupling coordination degree of WSE developed well, and reached the coordinative development stage by 2020, but the unbalanced spatial pattern between north to south and east to west still exists and is further intensified. (3) The development ability of WSE improved while the harmony ability reduced, and the development rate of WRS and SES hasn’t achieved dynamic synchronization. Finally, the policies and suggestions to improve the adaptability are put forward, which is of instructive significance for the sustainable development of water suitability.