Water resource health is one of the necessary conditions for society to achieve sustainable development. Due to the predominant focus of most studies on relatively short time spans, with limited attention to long time series and spatial trends, this study, using various regions of Henan Province as a case study, constructs a water resource security assessment framework based on the DPSIR model encompassing Drivers (D), Pressures (P), State (S), Impact (I), and Response (R) dimensions, with a selection of 19 evaluation indicators. Based on this evaluation index system, the CRITIC-TOPSIS evaluation method is formulated by integrating the CRITIC (Criteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation) and TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) models. This method is employed to assess the degree of water resource security in Henan Province from 2013 to 2022. And the Obstruction Degree Model is introduced to diagnose the water resource security levels in various regions of Henan Province. The assessment results indicate that over the past decade, the overall level of water resource security in various regions of Henan Province has shown an increasing trend. Irrigated area, per capita water resources, water consumption per unit of industrial value added, per acre water consumption for agricultural irrigation, the ratio of river length meeting water quality standards, groundwater supply proportion, and sewage treatment rate are identified as the primary obstacles influencing the water resource security levels in different regions of Henan Province. The research outcomes of this study can serve as theoretical foundations to enhance urban water resource security globally, ultimately facilitating sustainable development.

Both the natural and social water cycles form part of the regional water cycle, and the assessment of the health of the social water cycle provides useful recommendations for resource allocation, urban planning, and development. The Zheng-Bian-Luo region (Zhengzhou, Kaifeng, Luoyang city cluster in China) is used as an example in this study. The three-level “goal criterion index” is used to develop a water cycle index system based on deeper knowledge of the notion of the social water cycle. The system has four criterion layers that measure water quantity, utility, quality, and ecology, in addition to 22 index levels regarding the total water resources and drinking water compliance rate. By using this as a foundation, the minimum information entropy principle was applied to couple AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) and EFAST (Extended Fourier Amplitude Sensitivity Analysis) in order to calculate the comprehensive weights of the evaluation indicators and build a VIKOR (Intuitionistic Fuzzy Multi-attribute Decision Making Method) model of the relative preference relationship of the fused weights. This model was then compared to the conventional VIKOR model and the FCE (Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation Method) method in order to reflect on the objectivity of the evaluation results. The primary barriers preventing the improvement of water cycle health in the Zheng-Bian-Luo region were determined in this study by using the barrier degree model. The findings demonstrate that over the past 11 years, the overall water cycle health in the Zheng-Bian-Luo region has developed toward a healthy trend and that the water cycle health level in the region has gradually improved from the initial sub-pathological state to a healthy state. The results also demonstrate compliance with domestic drinking water sources, comprehensive water consumption per capita, the water consumption of CNY 10,000 of industrial-added value, the water consumption of CNY 10,000 of GDP, and the water consumption of CNY 10,000 for water. The primary barrier to the Zheng-Bian-Luo region’s improvement in water health is the water consumption ratio. The findings of this study can serve as a scientific foundation for creating a balanced urban water cycle and achieving long-term development in the area.

The regional water cycle reflects both natural and social processes. The health of the regional water cycle is of great significance to the sustainable development of human beings. Focusing on the nine provinces and regions in the Yellow River Basin, this study utilized the DPSIRM model, including 21 basic indicators. In this paper, according to the principle of minimum information entropy, the three-scale AHP and EFAST algorithms were combined and weighted, and water cycle health status in the nine provinces and regions was evaluated based on the hook trapezoidal fuzzy TOPSIS model. Moreover, the traditional TOPSIS model was compared with the FCE method so as to evaluate the objectivity of the results. The obstacle degree model was introduced to obtain the main obstacle factors affecting the improvement of water circulation health in the nine provinces and regions. The results show that the water circulation health status in the nine provinces and regions is tending towards health, coordination, and balance. Water consumption in the ecological environment, water consumption per CNY 10,000 of GDP and forest coverage rate are the key factors that influence the improvement of water circulation health in the nine provinces and regions. The research results herein provide a scientific reference for the nine provinces and regions to achieve a healthy urban water cycle and regional sustainable development.