Value of Water Quality Improvement
Attributes
Medium: Water
Country: China
Analytical Framework(s): Contingent Valuation, Travel Cost
Unit(s): Willingness to Pay
Study Date: 1996
Publication Date: 1999
Major Result(s)
| Category | Resource/Environmental Good | CNY, per capita, per annum (1996) |
|---|---|---|
| Water Quality | Existing to boatable | 10.26 |
| Water Quality | Boatable to swimmable | 7.88 |
| Water Quality | Existing to swimmable | 18.14 |
Study Note: The values were obtained from a primary study used to validate benefits transfer values for the same environmental good.
Study Details
Summary: The benefits transfer approach was used to value water quality improvements for a recreational lake in Wuhan, China. The study boasts of validating benefits transfer calculations by comparing results of studies transferred from the United States and the Philippines to the author's primary study on the lake in 1996.
Site Characteristics: East Lake (Donghu) is a recreational site (mostly for boating, swimming and angling) well known for its large water surface area of 33 km2. It is also known for its natural tranquility and beauty within the metropolitan boundary of Wuhan. However, water pollution has seriously impaired recreational quality, such that three sites with swimming facilities have been closed since they are located in the most polluted part of the lake. As such, users have to travel further in order to find sites with favorable characteristics for n. For the survey, 408 respondents gave useful answers for TCM and CVM analyses. Fifty percent of the sample were occasional visitors, and 16.7 percent visited only once a year and perhaps once in a lifetime for visitors from outside Hubei Province. Multiple site visits included activities such as walking, jogging, swimming, and boating, which were either highly localized or seasonal activities. Most of the visitors were from relatively high-income families (average income: CNY 407.00 per capita per month at 1995 prices; CNY 8.28 = USD 1.00). Moreover, the visitors usually had 13 years of schooling (which was higher than the national average), while over half obtained higher education. Ninety percent of the visitors were of working age, as suggested by the age structure.
Comments: The primary study has been reviewed prior to using it as a measure of the validity of the benefits transfer estimates.