5.9a hard engineering schemes Flashcards
water transfer schemes
involves the diversion of water from one drainage basin to another
SOUTH-NORTH WATER TRANSFER PROJECT
- begun in 2003 and is due for completion in 2050
- Northern China is suffering from water scarcity while the South of China is rich in water resources
- aims to channel 44.8 billion cubic meters of fresh water annually from the Yangtze River in the south
- the water table in Beijing has fallen by 300m since the 1970s
PROS
- boost water supplies in Beijing and boost economic development
- reduce abstraction of groundwater
CONS
- 345,000 people were displaced during the construction of the central route
- will submerge 370km^2 of land
- the project creates the risk of more frequent water scarcity in the Yangtze basin which has experienced water shortages in the past decade due to two severe droughts
essential to reduce water insecurity in densely populated large urban areas
mega dams
THE THREE GORGES DAM, CHINA
PROS
- generates electricity (vital for China’s growth)
CONS
- 1.3 million people have been relocated from 1500 towns and villages
- the reservoir’s water quality is poor
- waste from industry and sewage enter from upstream
- 632km^2 of land has been flooded to form the reservoir
- controversial and expensive
HOOVER DAN ON COLORADO
increasing water security by damming large rivers to create big reservoirs providing a water supply for domestic, industrial and agricultural purposes
CON - often reduce water availability downstream
desalinisation
removes dissolved solids in seawater to make it suitable for human use
by 2015, there were over 18,000 desalination plants worldwide in 150 countries
ISREAL - by 2020, aims to provide 70% of Isreal’s domestic water supplies
PROS
- produces up to 600 tonnes of potable water per hour
CONS
- may have an impact on ecosystems as large volumes of salt need to be disposed of
- unsustainable due to the demand for large amounts of energy that is required
