Effects of Urbanization on Rural Drinking Water Quality in Beijing, China

Urbanization is an inevitable trend in historical development, but eco-environmental problems, including drinking water safety, have gradually become more and more outstanding during the process of rural urbanization. Ten districts in rural areas of Beijing, China were selected to study the effects of urbanization on drinking water quality. The relation between the urbanization index and drinking water quality indicators were explored. The influence of the urbanization process on drinking water quality showed that housing construction, population urbanization, energy consumption, and industrialization during urban development were closely related to drinking water quality. The paired t-test showed the total electricity consumption, living electricity consumption, tertiary industry, and the GDP growth rate had boundary (p = 0.06) or significantly positive (p < 0.05) relations with the qualified rate of rural drinking water. The grey correlation analysis showed that the growth rates of the value-added of housing construction areas were the most important factor affecting comprehensive water quality of Beijing rural areas, followed by the growth rates of the value-added by secondary industry and total electricity consumption, and then the growth rates of the value-added by the tertiary industry and GDP. Urbanization had a significant impact on individual water quality indicators. The results of this study provided some supports for drinking water security in the face of urbanization.