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Single-scale interventions, whether through production or consumption adjustments, involve trade-offs among interbasin equality, intrabasin equality, and total water savings. By contrast, an integrated basin\u2013city management strategy at a 50% intervention intensity reduces interbasin inequality by 7% and achieves water savings equivalent to more than four-fifths (80%) of total water use in the Yangtze River basin. It also outperforms existing province-city vertical management models across scales. 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