Dynamic characteristics of a water resource structure in an urban ecological system: structure modelling based on input-occupancy-output technology

China is suffering from serious water problems that have been attributed to economic growth. We therefore aimed to evaluate socioeconomic activities in the City of Chongqing that affect water demand and pollutant discharge with the goal of assessing ecological input-occupancy-output table technology. Chongqing's water resources are the subject of the study, which investigates the socioeconomic and ecological distribution of water utilization. Our data reveal that the total water demand in the City of Chongqing is 576.76 billion m3. Most of the water is consumed by primary industries (37%), followed by secondary industries (42%), tertiary industries (4%), and households (17%). The total grey water footprint of the city is 24.224 billion tons. This finding suggests that the utilization structure of water in this region is closely linked to economic development. Because utilization structure is an important factor affecting water consumption, addressing this structure is the first measure in regulating water consumption and avoiding water shortages. An effective system incorporating a management policy for industrial water utilization is one of the primary methods by which conflicts of water resource allocation can be avoided. The effective allocation of water resources can be realized via the fair distribution of water resources among different regions and users, which guarantees sustainable utilization. Our study suggests that if the social water system is to be effectively and scientifically regulated, we must control excessive development and utilization of water resources and address the ecological and environmental issues caused by socioeconomic water consumption exceeding ecological water utilization.