Spatial and Temporal Analyses of Water Resources Use Efficiency Based on Data Envelope Analysis and Malmquist Index: Case Study in Gansu Province, China

The aim of this paper is to evaluate water resources use efficiency (WRUE), which focuses on the entire water consumption process by utilizing data envelopment analysis (DEA) and the Malmquist index (MI). A comprehensive analysis of WRUE both on the spatial and temporal scale has been conducted. For the spatial scale, the difference of WRUEs among cities is presented, and the negative factors by analyzing and decomposing relative water resources use efficiency (RWRUE) are examined. Similarly, the dynamic changes of WRUE over time is presented to analyze the temporal scale. Moreover, a real-world case study in Guansu Province, China, from 2003 to 2013 is employed to evaluate the performance of the proposed WRUE analysis. Results show that the decision makers can determine the comprehensive and accurate WRUE and negative factors of WRUE in Gansu. Furthermore, the results provide alternative recommendations to decision makers to plan for efficient use of water resources in different cities.