Impact of the Henan Section of the Central Line Project of South-to-North Water Diversion on the High-Quality Development of Water-Receiving Cities

The Henan section of the Central Line Project of South-to-North Water Diversion (CLPSNWD) plays a crucial role within the overall project, serving as both the water source area and the largest recipient of water. This study aims to construct a comprehensive evaluation index system for the high-quality development (HQD) of water-receiving cities (WRCs), considering both the “quantity” and “quality” aspects. Based on the dimensions of economic vitality, people’s livelihoods, environment, and green development, twelve indicators were assessed to examine the influence of the Henan section of the CLPSNWD on the HQD of WRCs. The analysis reveals the following findings: (1) The CLPSNWD has a more significant influence on the economic vitality and improvement of livelihoods in the cities along its route compared to its impact on environment and green development. (2) Among the cities along the route, Anyang, Hebi, and Zhengzhou experience a higher level of impact from the project compared to other cities along the route. (3) Analyzing the impact in different dimensions reveals that in the dimension of economic vitality, the impact of each city on HQD is similar to the overall trend. In the dimension of people’s livelihood and environment, Hebi has experienced the greatest amount of change, while in the dimension of green development, the cities are more unstable, with increases and decreases.