13. Water Security And Demand Stress Flashcards
Define water security.
Sustainable access on a watershed basis to adequate quantities of water, of acceptable quality, to ensure human and ecosystem health.
Define potable water.
Water of a quality that can be safely drunk and used in food preparation without compromising health.
Describe global scale precipitation patterns.
- 60 % of the water supplies are in just 10 countries
- 66% of world’s countries receive only 25% of total rainfall
- Precipitation levels in Sub-Saharan Africa are below 250mm
What factors could affect water availability?
- Climate/precipitation patterns
- Geopolitics
- Irrigation in farming
- Contamination of underground aquifers
- Mass manufacturing processes
- Ability to extract groundwater sources
- Demand for water
- Water pollution affecting water quality
What are water pressure points?
Areas where there is a diminishing supply, rising demands and competition.
Why is water consumption increasing?
- 120 litres of water to make one glass of wine
- Population growth and more wealthy people
- Increased life expectancy
Give 3 issues of water security.
- Limited supply for food production
- Tensions and conflict caused by access to water supplies
- Environmental impacts of water use
What percentage of London’s water comes from borehole abstraction?
30% - boreholes are used to extract water from aquifers (a layer of rock that holds groundwater)
What percentage of London’s water comes from river abstraction?
70%
What percentage of Israel’s water is sourced from desalinisation processes?
40%
What area has the highest risk of groundwater shortage?
China
Describe HIC domestic water demand
- 59% Industrial use
- 30% Agricultural use
- 11% Domestic use
Describe LIC domestic water demand.
- 10% Industrial use
- 82% Agricultural use
- 8% Domestic use
Name 3 countries with the highest water demand.
- Australia
- USA
- India
Why is there high water stress is the USA?
The abstraction rates from the Ogallala Aquifer exceed the recharge rates by 15km cubed each year. - therefore inputs are lower than outputs
Describe the Malthus model
If demand exceeds supply, famine and loss of life reduce the population so demand no longer exceeds supply. - a theory that population growth will outpace the growth of food production, leading to poverty, famine, and other disasters.
Describe the Boserup model
When demand exceeds supply, new technologies are developed to extract new or unconventional resource so the balance of demand and supply is restored. - population growth has a positive impact on people as it forces them to invent new methods to obtain more food when supplies begin to run out.
Describe the progress made on the SDG (Clean water for all).
90% of the world now has access to clean water.
