Energy Water And The Environment

Question 1

Name some facts about the three gorges dam

Answer 1

Built on Yangste River in central China
Largest HEP in the world
101 metres high

Question 2

Why was the site for the three gorges dam chosen?

Answer 2

Valley floor was wide and low - building easy
Bedrock is firm - good foundation
Few earthquakes near the site
Small island make construction of diversion channel easy during construction
Workers easily moved in

Question 3

What are the advantages of the three gorges dam?

Answer 3

Tourist attraction
Clean renewable energy 
Reduced flooding downstream
Jobs created 
Water stored behind - drinking, irrigation

Question 4

What are the disadvantages of the three gorges dam?

Answer 4

Yangste freshwater dam is extinct
Sturgeon and alligator threatened 
Cost $39 billion to build
1.3million people had to be relocated
Archaeological sites covered in water 
Farmland downstream less fertile - less silt

Question 5

What’s the changes to the river upstream to the three gorges dam?

Answer 5

Reservoir behind the dam
Gradient reduced
Velocity reduced
Evaporation rates increase

Question 6

What are the changes to the river downstream of the three gorges dam?

Answer 6

Discharge reduced
Less load
Velocity reduced

Question 7

Name some facts about the Colorado river

Answer 7

2300km 
South west USA and north west Mexico 
Source: Ricky mountains 
40 million people rely on it for water
29 dams

Question 8

Describe the Hoover Dam

Answer 8

Completed in 1936

Created lake mead

Question 9

Describe the Colorado River Aqueduct

Answer 9

389km pipe, tunnels and canals
Takes water from the Colorado river to California
Ends up at LA
1.5km3 pumped through the aqueduct every year

Question 10

Name some facts about the Central Arizona Project

Answer 10

541km diversion canal
Starts at Lake Havasu and ends at Tucson
Cost $4 billion to build

Question 11

What are the environmental impacts of the management of the River Colorado?

Answer 11

Used to carry 90million tonnes sediment - now gets trapped behind dams- damages delta ecosystem
Salinity increased - evaporation draws salt out of rocks
Fish shrimps and sea mammals decreased at mouth - less water

Question 12

What are they doing on the Colorado river to reduce environmental impacts?

Answer 12

Reduced leakage - 25% water is lost 
Recycling water
Sewage treatment 
Drip irrigation 
Growing crops that don't need lots of water
Groundwater extraction 
Desalination

Question 13

What is Tanzania like?

Answer 13

Desperately poor
Life expectancy is 46
Diarrhoea is a big killer

Question 14

What has water aid done to help Tanzania?

Answer 14

In Chessa new well 24m deep constructed with an Afridev hand pump - 15 families can now drink safe water
Hand pump can be fixed locally - basic - Vincent and Lazaro William are the caretakers
Local radio soap show Pilika Pilika spreads messages of sanitation and water management

Question 15

Why is the land in Nepal being degraded?

Answer 15

Steep terraced land on mountains is vulnerable to landslides and soil erosion
Heavy monsoon rains
Population growth means more land cleared for crops
Deforestation - 25% removed between 1990 and 2005 - 3% removed per year
70 000 Trekkers arrive each year expecting cooked food and heating which uses fuel wood

Question 16

What’s it like in the mountain region of Nepal?

Answer 16

Above 3000 m
Sparsely populated 
Cold climate
Steep slopes
Herding and trading

Question 17

What’s it like in the forested regions of nepal?

Answer 17

1000-3000 m
Densely populated
Massive terraces for cultivation
Tree removal for farming and fuel wood is causing landslides and soil erosion

Question 18

What’s it like in the Tarai plains in Nepal?

Answer 18

Flat fertile plains
River flow fed by monsoon rains and melting glaciers
Deforestation commune due to illegal logging and road building

Question 19

Why do people collect fuel wood in Nepal?

Answer 19

In Tadiya wood is the main source of fuel
Women spend one third of their day collecting it
Sell it at nearby market of Janakpur
Using fuel wood for tourists has increased deforestation and soil erosion by 10%

Question 20

What are the solutions to Nepals land degradation?

Answer 20

Contour ploughing - prevents rapid run off, loss of soil and development of gullies
HEP schemes (only 10% connected to electricity)
Yak dung for fires and as building material
Restrict tourism and larger fee for heating and cooking
Minimum impact guide for all trekking groups
Environmental education in schools
Reduce use of inorganic pesticides
Use animal manure, green manure and compost (help soil recover)

Question 21

What is the smog like in China?

Answer 21

200 particles (25 acceptable) in cities
800 at certain times in cities
On average reduces life expectancy by 5 years

Question 22

What was the smog like in Beijing 2013?

Answer 22

Air pollution 40 times acceptable limits
Causes breathing problem, higher chances of stroke, heart disease and cancer
China burns half the worlds coal

Question 23

What happened in Harbin 2013?

Answer 23

Schools shut because of the smog
Flights cancelled
Visibility limited to a few metres