Water Resources as a Strategic Factor of the Region’s Sustainable Development

The research aims to assess the relationship between the state of the region’s water resources and the sustainability of its development. The research design includes an analysis of the state of water resources of the Rostov and Volgograd Regions in the first stage and an analysis of the impact of the state of water resources of the region on individual subsystems of sustainable development of the region in the second stage. The research used a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, including cross-regional comparisons and methods of economic analysis. The analysis carried out by the authors demonstrated the existence of a relationship between the state of the region’s water resources and the sustainability of its development. It has been revealed that the ecological subsystem is the most sensitive to the state of water resources in the Volgograd Region. In the Rostov Region, the most sensitive is the social subsystem. This research is important for understanding the role of water resources in the sustainable development of the region on a long-term basis. The results obtained are important for regional strategizing from ecological and socio-economic points of view.