EQ3 5.7 Flashcards
1
Q
what is water scarcity?
A
an imbalance between demand and supply.
- physical scarcity = insufficient water to meet demand, water deficit
- economic scarcity = people can’t afford water even when its available
2
Q
what is water stress?
A
when a country’s water consumption exceeds 10% of its renewable freshwater supply it is said to be water stressed
3
Q
what is water insecurity?
A
present and future supplies cannot be guaranteed, leading to a need for physical or political and economic solutions
4
Q
why is there a diminishing supply?
A
- impact of climate change
- deteriorating quality from pollution
- impact of competing users, e.g. upstream vs downstream
5
Q
why is there rising demands?
A
- population growth
- economic development
6
Q
why is there competing demands from users?
A
-internal conflicts in a basin
-international issues: upstream vs downstream
HEP vs irrigation
7
Q
some physical factors causing water insecurity?
A
- steep relief locations have more relief rain and also more run-off and surface storage in lakes/reservoirs, especially in mountainous impermeable geology. this may reduce insecurity
- melting of cryosphere in mountains may reduce storage of water and seasonal meltwater so water scarcity is increasing
- permeable chalk and porous sandstone can store huge amounts of water underground which is crucial at reducing scarcity as it is not susceptible to evaporation loss. this store can be accessed by spring or well to reduce scarcity.
