chapter 1

Question 1

water scarcity

Answer 1

either the lack of enough water (quantity) or lack of access to safe water (quality).

Question 2

economic scarcity

Answer 2

finding a reliable source of safe water is often time-consuming and expensive

Question 3

physical scarcity

Answer 3

lack of water

Question 4

hydrological cycle

Answer 4

renews the world’s freshwater resources through evaporation and precipitation.

Question 5

average amount of ppn, evaporated part and remains part, etc.

Answer 5

Average annual precipitation on land: 110 000 km3 Evaporated part: 70 000 km3 remains: 40 000 km3 relatively stable supply: 14 000 km3 Global freshwater consumption: 4 000 km3

Question 6

The 40 000 km3 of available water are distributed very unevenly and two-thirds of it….

Answer 6

runs off in floods

Question 7

For example, 6 000 km3 of water is needed to dilute and transport the estimated ……… of waste water now entering the world’s rivers each year.

Answer 7

450 km3

Question 8

Without ………………………. even more water will have to be diverted to dilute and transport wastes.

Answer 8

substantial investment in waste water treatment and more effective regulation,

Question 9

Human actions bring about water scarcity in three ways:

Answer 9

through population growth misuse nequitable access.

Question 10

average annual flow

Answer 10

Every country has a more or less fixed amount of internal water resources, defined as the average annual flow of rivers and aquifers generated from precipitation.

Question 11

When annual internal renewable water resources are less than 1 000 m3 per caput, water availability is considered

Answer 11

a severe constraint on socio-economic development and environmental protection.

Question 12

Most countries facing chronic water scarcity problems are in

Answer 12

North Africa the Near East sub-Saharan Africa.

Question 13

serious water shortages are causing difficulties in

Answer 13

specific regions and watersheds.

Question 14

examples of water shortages

Answer 14

northern China western and southern India parts of Mexico

Question 15

People also bring about water scarcity by

Answer 15

polluting and overusing existing supplies.

Question 16

If pumping is greater than recharge…

Answer 16

the aquifier is depleted and the capital is consumed

Question 17

Precipitation …………

Answer 17

absorbs gases from the atmosphere and removes particles from the air.

Question 18

When the precipitation strikes the ground it

Answer 18

becomes surface water runoff or enters the ground.

Question 19

The surface water flows into

Answer 19

larger and larger channels, ponds, lakes and rivers until some of it reaches the sea.

Question 20

surface water picks up

Answer 20

both organic and mineral particles, bacteria and other organisms as well as salts and other soluble substances.

Question 21

The water in lakes and swamps sometimes acquires

Answer 21

odours, tastes and colours from algae and other organisms and from decaying vegetation.

Question 22

heavy metals from mining and pathogens from cities have caused serious, although localized, …………..

Answer 22

contamination

Question 23

localized contamination is caused by

Answer 23

heavy metals from mining and pathogens from cities

Question 24

Much water is polluted when it is used in

Answer 24

industry and agriculture or for domestic purposes.

Question 25

Mining is the major cause of

Answer 25

metal contamination

Question 26

industries contribute to

Answer 26

acidification

Question 27

The intensification of agricultural activities has led to

Answer 27

the contamination of groundwater by fertilizers and other chemicals

Question 28

irrigation projects often cause

Answer 28

a rapid rise in the level of groundwater, which leads to waterlogging and soil salinity.

Question 29

Recent assessments have found that the main water pollutants are:

Answer 29

sewage, nutrients, toxic metals and industrial as well as agricultural chemicals.

Question 30

the most common water pollutant is

Answer 30

organic material from domestic sewage, municipal waste and agro-industrial effluent; and the high water nitrate levels

Question 31

the high water nitrate levels found in

Answer 31

Western Europe and the United States

Question 32

the high water nitrate levels are a result of

Answer 32

the nitrogen fertilizers and manure used for intensive agriculture

Question 33

Deforestation

Answer 33

the clearing of land for agriculture and urban development, often leads to water contamination

Question 34

Eutrophication

Answer 34

the enrichment of waters with nutrients, especially phosphorus and nitrogen

Question 35

Salinity

Answer 35

significant and widespread form of freshwater pollution, particularly in arid, semi-arid and some coastal regions.

Question 36

Cause of salinity

Answer 36

combination of poor drainage and high evaporation rates which concentrate salts on irrigated land.

Question 37

Waterlogged soil

Answer 37

which aggravates the problem of salinity, is usually caused by overwatering and a lack of proper drainage systems.

Question 38

Overuse of groundwater has become a major problem in

Answer 38

China,

India,

Indonesia,

Mexico,

the Near East,

North Africa,

Thailand,

the western United States

and many island countries where seawater intrusion results.

Question 39

The overpumping of aquifers result in

Answer 39

• water source that is too depleted to serve as a supply
• cause the land above the aquifer to settle or subside, resulting in widespread structural damage in extreme cases

Question 40

countries that surve an example of the dangers of overpumping

Answer 40

Bangkok and Mexico City

Question 41

agriculture water use persentage

Answer 41

70%

Question 42

Domestic and industrial water use persentage

Answer 42

30%

Question 43

Domestic water uses include

Answer 43

drinking-water supplies, private homes, commercial establishments, public services and municipal supplies.

Question 44

Poor families in some large cities spend up to percent of their income on water.

Answer 44

20

Question 45

When the cost is so high, they use little water for washing and bathing, which results in

Answer 45

serious health problems

Question 46

Countries predicted to have scarce water resources

Answer 46

Egypt

Saudi Arabia

Libya

UAE

Jordan

Question 47

around 15 000 m3 of water are normally sufficient to irrigate 1 ha of rice. This same amount of water can supply:

Answer 47

100 nomads and 450 head of stock for three years;

or 100 rural families through house connections for four years;

or 100 urban families for two years;

or 100 luxury hotel guests for 55 days.

Question 48

Domestic water demand is …………………in comparison with agriculture and industry

Answer 48

moderate

Question 49

Domestic water quality requirement is

Answer 49

high

Question 50

Domestic and municipal water uses include

Answer 50

drinking, washing, food preperation and sanitiation

Question 51

Two of the most troubling domestic water supply issues for policy-makers are

Answer 51

access and health

Question 52

Health officials identify five categories of disease related to water:

Answer 52

i) water-borne diseases (typhoid, cholera, dysentery, gastroenteritis and infectious hepatitis);
ii) water-washed infections of the skin and eyes (trachoma, scabies, yaws, leprosy, conjunctivitis and ulcers);
iii) water-based diseases (schistosomiasis and guinea-worm);
iv) diseases from water-related insect vectors such as mosquitoes and blackflies; and
v) infections caused by defective sanitation (hookworm).

Question 53

Explain the concept of resource geopolitics or “hydropolitics”

Answer 53

The increasing value of water,

concern about water quality and quantity,

and problems of access and denial

have given rise to the concept of resource geopolitics or “hydropolitics”.

Question 54

give examples of countries that receive over 75 percent of their available water supplies from the river flows of upstream neighbors.

Answer 54

Botswana,

Bulgaria,

Cambodia,

the Congo,

Egypt,

the Gambia,

Hungary,

Luxembourg,

Mauritania,

the Netherlands,

Romania,

the Sudan

and the Syrian Arab Republic

Question 55

over ………….percent of their available water supplies from the river flows of upstream neighbors.

Answer 55

75

Question 56

More than percent of the world’s population lives in river basins that are shared by more than one country.

Answer 56

40