5.8 water insecurity- the causes

Question 1

What has the UN named the crisis of water demand and supply?

Answer 1

‘the lack of freshwater is emerging as the biggest challenge of the twenty-first century’

Question 2

In theory, why is there no global water shortage?

Answer 2

only 50% of water available is actually used

Question 3

What is the world water gap?

Answer 3

In many parts of the world, there is not enough water to meet demand, whereas wealthy countries consume more and more water. This is particularly increasing due to the developed world having increased standards of living

Question 4

What is a statistic showing the world water gap?

Answer 4

12% of the population consume 85% of its water

Question 5

How often does a child die from water-borne diseases

Answer 5

Every 90 seconds

Question 6

How many people die of dirty water each year?

Answer 6

800,000

Question 7

How many people worldwide lack access to clean drinking water?

Answer 7

1.8bn

Question 8

How much money is lost worldwide each year by the fact that women must spend hours a day collecting water? How much could they earn in the same amount of time?

Answer 8

US$24 billion

Question 9

What is water stress?

Answer 9

If a country’s water consumption exceeds 10% of its renewable freshwater supply, including difficulties in obtaining new quantities of water as well as poor quality restricting usage. Usually under 1,700m3 per person per year

Question 10

What is water scarcity?

Answer 10

An imbalance between demand and supply, which can be physical: insufficient water to meet demand, or economic: people can’t afford water, even when it’s available

Question 11

What is water insecurity?

Answer 11

Where present and future supplies of water cannot be guaranteed, leading to the need for physical or political and economic solutions (e.g. agreements between countries)

Question 12

What does water sufficient mean?

Answer 12

If there is 3,000m cubed of water per person available each year. This includes countries such as Canada and Scandinavia

Question 13

What does water vulnerable mean?

Answer 13

When there’s under 2,500m cubed of water per person per year. This includes Spain, Nigeria, India and the UK

Question 14

Of the water available worldwide, how much is safe to drink?

Answer 14

2.5% - and only 1% of this is available as surface water

Question 15

What are the human causes of water insecurity?

Answer 15

Increased population
Urbanization
Improved living standards
Industrialization
Agriculture
Contamination
Over abstraction

Question 16

Why is increased population causing water security?

Answer 16

More people need more water;
As the world’s population increases by 80 million each year, global water consumption increases, meaning supply is struggling to keep up with demand. The population is likely to reach 9.1bn before 2050

Question 17

Why does urbanisation cause water insecurity?

Answer 17

More than half the world now lives in urban areas putting pressure on availability in certain areas. Increased urbanisation also means increased runoff meaning less infiltration and less groundwater storage

Question 18

Where has an increased population growth caused water insecurity?

Answer 18

In China, especially by the South-China sea in urban areas. China has 6% of the world’s freshwater supply, but 22% of the population

Question 19

Where has urbanisation placed pressure on water resources?

Answer 19

By 2030, urban populations in Asia and Africa will double, increasing pressure on water resources, especially in warm climates where precipitation is low

Question 20

Why is increased standards of living causing water insecurity?

Answer 20

As more countries become more developed, water demand increases, meaning supply struggles to keep up. This is exacerbated by changing consumer habits such as increased meat consumption, more cars and increased use of electronics

Question 21

Where have standards of living increased, leading to water insecurity?

Answer 21

In China, where there is a growth in the middle class and a growing consumption of meat

Question 22

Why does industrialization cause water insecurity?

Answer 22

An increase in industry causes a large increase in water usage, which can be seen in developing countries as well as places where there is an increase in water-intensive fracking. There is also an increase in industrial waste dumped into rivers; heavy metals and chemical waste are particularly toxic.

Question 23

What is an example of where industrialization has caused water insecurity?

Answer 23

In the Ganges where many toxic industries like tanneries discharge their waste directly into the river. A billion gallons of raw sewage is dumped in the Ganges each day.
It has also been reported that between 2000 and 2050 water demand for manufacturing supplies would grow by 400%

Question 24

Why is agriculture causing water insecurity?

Answer 24

Agriculture is by far the largest water user (usually accounts for 70% of water usage, but can be 90% in developing countries). By 2050, 60% more food will need to be produced.
Largely, inefficient water usage is depleting aquifers, reducing river flow, degrading habitats, increasing fertilizer and pesticide contamination, causing waterlogging and salination

Question 25

Where has irrigated farmland placed a particular strain on places?

Answer 25

Israel
The Murray-Darling Basin
Countries surrounding the Aral Sea

Question 26

Why is contamination leading to water insecurity?

Answer 26

Agriculture, industrial pollution, mining, untreated sewage and urban runoff causes eutrophication (excessive fertilisers and nutrients lead to the growth of algae) of fresh water sources with significant environmental and health risks

Question 27

Why does over abstraction cause water insecurity and where is this a problem?

Answer 27

When too much groundwater is removed then there is a lack of water supplies. 20% of aquifers are being over-exploited as seen in intensive farming regions like the North China Plain. Shanghai has sunk more than 3m over the last century due to water abstraction

Question 28

What are the physical causes of water insecurity?

Answer 28

Climate
Topography
Geology
Drought / water transfer
saltwater encroachment

Question 29

How can the climate lead to water insecurity

Answer 29

The climate determines the global distribution of water supply - precipitation varies globally due to atmospheric pressure systems. High pressure zones, such as the Sahel at the equator are the most water insecure. Changes to ENSO and climate change are exacerbating the situation

Question 30

How does topography vary water security?

Answer 30

High relief promotes increased precipitation and rapid run-off, but may also provide greater opportunities for surface water storage in natural lakes and reservoirs

Question 31

How does geology affect water security?

Answer 31

Geology determines the distribution of aquifers that provide groundwater storage. Permeable chalk and porous sandstones can hold vast quantities of water underground which is not subject to evaporation loss

Question 32

Where is over-abstraction occuring?

Answer 32

There is currently a crisis, caused by over-digging of tube-wells, leading to massive abstraction and a drop in the water table, for example in India and Pakistan, which is combined with less predictable patterns of rainfall

Question 33

How is saltwater encroachment leading to water insecurity?

Answer 33

Global sea level rise and localized abstraction of groundwater are increasing the risk of saltwater intrusion. Extensive groundwater pumping from wells in the lower table allows salt to move into soils and aquifers. Thermal expansion and melting of ice sheets enable saltwater to intrude further inland

Question 34

Where is having a threat to water security due to salt encroachment?

Answer 34

The Pacific Islands depend on a small number of aquifers for freshwater supply (35% of Samoa’s water supply is drawn from aquifers). Aquifers are threatened by saltwater intrusion due to over-abstraction.
During the 1997/98 El Nino event, groundwater withdrawals in the Marshall Islands nearly tripled because of drought

Question 35

Where has drought and water transfer caused water insecurity?

Answer 35

The world’s major river systems store large levels of water and transfer it across continents. Droughts in the Amazon had a huge impact on water supply Flows in the main river were at an all time low along with record sea temperatures

Question 36

What are examples of cities nearly at ‘day zero’?

Answer 36

Cape town
Chennai
Sao Paulo

Question 37

During the 20th century, how many times did the population grow and how many times did water consumption grow?

Answer 37

The population grew by 4 times but the water consumption increased by 54 times

Question 38

Are human or physical factors more significant in causing water insecurity?

Answer 38

Human
Physical factors have always remained constant- it’s only now that climate change is occurring so rapidly that physical processes are leading to water insecurity e.g. intensified ENSO cycles

Question 39

Which is the most significant human factor that leads to water insecurity?

Answer 39

Growing population- supply cannot meet demand. This leads to all other causes such as urbanisation and increased agriculture

Question 40

Why has the Aral Sea shrunk?

Answer 40

Building of canals during Soviet Union reign in order to take water and use it to irrigate cotton and rice. However, 70% of irrigation either leaked out the canals or was evaporated , meaning the sea started to shrink

Question 41

Facts about the sinking size of the Aral sea?

Answer 41

-By 2004, the sea was about 1/4 of its original size
-By 2007, 10% of its original size

Question 42

What are the physical effects of the shrinking of the Aral Sea?

Answer 42

-high rates of salinity means few fish live here.
-chemical and sewage residue
Toxic dust storms

Question 43

What are the human effects of the shrinking of the Aral Sea?

Answer 43

• 40,000 once employed in fishing now mostly unemployed
  -people moved away, given there were much fewer jobs available in cotton and rice farms
  -shops and services closed
  -Aralsk port became 100km from the water’s edge
  -high rates of respiratory diseases

Question 44

How does the management of the Aral sea vary between the two countries?

Answer 44

Kazakhstan constructed a dam in 2003 with World Bank funding. The sea has since risen by 10m, meaning salinity is declining, fish numbers are increasing and 80 fish boats now operate. They are also lining irrigation canals with concrete to reduce water loss.
However, Uzbekistan are more interested in exploring gas, with its income helping them to pay for improvements in agriculture, sustaining the cotton industry

Question 45

What is happening with the water supply in Gaza?

Answer 45

-After the Hamas militant attack on October 7th, Israel stopped all water and electricity supplies going into the area, stopping supplies as well as the ability for desalination of water.
-Its only supply is a shallow aquifer, 97% of which doesn’t meet WHO’s water standard requirements.
-Rainwater cisterns are often destroyed by the Israeli army. The UN warns Israel this could amount to crimes against humanity

Question 46

What is the problem in the West Bank with water?

Answer 46

Here, you aren’t allowed to dig wells without Israeli permits which are almost impossible to obtain