The application of Gini coefficient in the total load allocation in Jinjiang River, China

Gini coefficient has been widely used for evaluation the balance and fairness of a target relative to another index of the status quo. In this paper, the Gini coefficient is introduced to measure the equality of the total load allocation. It is based on a multi-criteria system, including population, gross domestic production (GDP), land area and pollution discharge. The allocation of ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) in the Jinjiang River in Jiangxi Province, China is chosen as a case study to illustrate the application of the Gini coefficient. The result shows that we can enhance the balance between efficiency and equality by adjusting the weight of GDP and population in Jinjiang River. The capacity allocation of NH4+-N for control unit 1, 2, 3 and 4 is 606 t/a, 1147 t/a, 712 t/a, and 501t/a respectively. The results will help the policy-makers to management wastewater discharge and find suitable protect and treatment techniques for the Jinjiang River.