5.9 Flashcards
What approach has been adopted at the Three Gorges Dam?
Control flooding by regulating river flow, generate HEP and make the river navigable.
What are the benefits of the Three Gorges Dam approach?
- Electricity generated is vital for China’s growth
- Controls flooding downstream
What are the costs of the Three Gorges Dam?
- 1.3 million people displaced, as a result of the dam from 1500 villages and towns.
- £24 billion - very expensive
- 632km^2 has been flooded to form the reservoir
- Decomposing vegetation produces methane which is released when passing through the HEP turbines.
What approach was adopted in the South /North Transfer?
A gigantic south-north water diversion project begin in 2003 and is expected to take 50 years
What are the benefits of the South/North Transfer approach?
- Water available in the north
- three canals will be built
- supply water to cities such as Beijing
What are the costs of the South/North transfer approach?
- $100 billion
- 50 years
- environmental issues
- resettlement issues
- worsening water quality
What approach was adopted for Israel’s Desalination?
Desalination plants bout to provide and predictable supply of water
What are the benefits of the Israel’s desalination approach?
- aims to provide 70% of Israel domestic water supplies by 2020.
- Produces up to 600 tonnes of potable water per hour
What are the costs of Israel’s desalination approach?
- 5 plants each with their own power plant, which will produce CO2 emission.
- Produces salt/brine, containing anti-scaling agents that harm ecosystems.
What approach has been adopted for Smart irrigation?
- Irrigating using water-efficient methods.
- This includes using drip feed origami on rather than spray irrigation
What are the benefits of smart irrigation?
- Water more localised than spray irrigation (directly to crops)
- More water efficient
What are the costs of smart irrigation?
- Drip feed irrigation more expensive than spray irrigation
What approach has been adopted by water restoration?
This can involve restoring meanders, replanting vegetation and using sustainable methods to manage water courses to provide an alternative environment for all users
What are the benefits of water restoration?
- Clearly environmentally sustainable and have many socio-benefits to the communities living there
What are the costs of water restoration?
Might not always be economically sustainable
What is water restoration?
Water restoration is the attempt to restore damaged rivers, lakes and wetlands.
- management strategies are being used to return damaged water environments to their natural state.
What is techno-fix
Hard engineering schemes
What does effective mean?
Successful in producing a desired or intended result
What is sustainability?
The current population with compromising the needs of future generations
What are the pros of water sharing treaties and framework?
- Water is distributed more evenly over different countries
- More likely to fix any leaks, conserving water
- Areas with lower levels of water could be given a higher water supply
What are the cons of water sharing treaties and frameworks?
- Countries may be excluded from treaties causing conflict
- Countries may find there’s a reduction in their water supply leading to conflict
What are the Pros of the Integrated Water Resource Management in the Colorado drainage basin?
- Water has now been conserved through the repairing of leaks
- Native Americans will now be able to claim more than 5% of water reserves, as their reservations extend along the river and two of its tributaries
- Water flow in Mexico takes 10%
What are the cons of the Integrated Water Resource Management in the Colorado drainage Basin?
- California now takes less water than before
- Many people were displaced and home flooded
- Many people loss of their employment and livelihood
