EQ3 - How Does Water Insecurity Occur And Why Is It Becoming Such A Global Issue In The 21st Century

Question 1

Define water scarcity

Answer 1

An imbalance between demand and supply , classified as: physical scarcity (insufficient water to meet demand) or economic scarcity (people cant afford water)

Question 2

Define water stress

Answer 2

If a countries water consumption exceeds 10% of its renewable freshwater supply, including difficulties in obtaining new quantities of water and poor water quality

Question 3

What does water stress and water scarcity create

Answer 3

They create water scarcity leading to a need for physical, political or economic solutions

Question 4

How does diminishing supply cause water insecurity

Answer 4

Impact of climate change
Deteriorating quality from pollution
Impact of competing uses

Question 5

How does rising demands cause water insecurity

Answer 5

Population growth
Economic development
Water availability gap- richer countries use 10x more water per person

Question 6

How does competing demands from users cause water insecurity

Answer 6

Internal conflicts in a basin

International issues - HEP, Irrigation, Fracking

Question 7

Explain how climate variability is a physical cause which affect water insecurity

Give examples between pressure zones

Answer 7

Climate variability around the world affects distribution of water supply as it effects seasonal distribution of precipitation

Precipitation is greatest in low pressure zones where water is most secure . Areas with seasonal rain and low annual totals (Sahel) have greater variation and therefore poorer water security .

Question 8

Explain how salt water encroachment is a physical cause which affect water insecurity

Answer 8

Will occur due to sea level rise associated with climate change and localised abstraction of groundwater

Contaminates freshwater to increase water scarcity

Question 9

Explain how water stores are a physical cause which affect water insecurity

Give examples

Answer 9

Flows in major rivers are at an all time low

Melting of the cryosphere reduces the storage of water and seasonal meltwater , increasing water scarcity

Warmer water stores cause the growth of bacteria affecting human health , increasing water scarcity

Question 10

Explain how geology is a physical factor which can effect water insecurity

Give examples

Answer 10

Controls the distribution of aquifers that privide grou dwater storage

Steep relief locations have more run off and surface storage , reducing water insecurity

Permeable rock stores huge amounts of water, reducing water insecurity as it cannot be lost to evapotranspiration.

Question 11

Exaplin the impact humans have had on water Quality

What are the types of pollution

Answer 11

Humans can pollute surface water and groundwater supplies, diminishing quality
Humans contaminate aquifers causing high levels of toxicity

Untreated sewage disposal, chemical fertilisers contaminate groundwater supplies, Industrial waste dumped into rivers and oceans

Question 12

Explain the impact humans have had on the Quantity of water

Answer 12

Humans can over abstract from rivers and groundwater sources, for domestic purposes, agriculture and industrial
Population growth and economic development reduces water quantity

Question 13

Explain how over abstraction from rivers , lakes and groundwater is a human factor which can effect water insecurity

Answer 13

Occurs when too much water is removed so that supplies diminish
20% of world aquifers are over- explpited

Question 14

Explain how agriculture is a human factor which can effect water insecurity

What will increased pumping for crop production cause

Answer 14

Is the largest user of water , 70%
Increase in agricultural demands for freshwater are unsustainable

Will cause:
Reduced river flow
Degraded wildlife habitats 
Increased fertiliser pollution 
Increased salinity

Question 15

Explain how industry is a human factor which can effect water insecurity

Answer 15

Will be a 400% increase in water demand for industry from 2000-2015
Increased development of emerging and developing countries menas increased water needed for manufacturing
Industrial spillage and poor waste management leads to contamination

Question 16

Explain how Energy is a human factor which can effect water insecurity

Answer 16

Requires increased amount of water for new energy developments , like biofuels and Fracking

Question 17

Explain how Increased Population is a human factor which can effect water insecurity

Answer 17

Demand for water is increasing 2x as fast as population growth
Increased urbanisation is increasing pressure on the availability of freshwater

Question 18

Explain how Improved living standards is a human factor which can effect water insecurity

Answer 18

Rising Incomes and living standards in developing and emerging countries is increasing water usage.
Increased meat consumption, building larger homes, increased energy consuming devices and cars increases water consumption in both production and use

Question 19

Why is their increasing global demand for water (3)

Answer 19

Standard of living increase : increased middle class in emerging and developing countries , increased meat and energy using products consumption.

Increased production, agriculture and industry : Agriculture is 70% of water consumption. Humans consumer 2000-5000 litres of water per day due to food and water

Increased population: growing by 80million per year . Water demand is growing 2x as fast as population . Increased urbanisation

Question 20

Define Physical Water Scarcity

Answer 20

Is the imbalance between water supply and demand which is largely determined by climate

Continentality and topography are significant globally

Question 21

Define Economic Scarcity

Answer 21

Is a shortfall in water related to shortfalls in human resources like capital, technology and a stable government

Water potential is there but waits to be exploited

Question 22

Why does the price of water vary so greatly (5)

Answer 22

The cost of transporting water from the source to consumption

Poverty and insufficient water infrastructure in squatter settlements: residents rely on water tankers and bottled water which is 4x more expensive than piped water

In developing countries water is free but not often treated

Governments installed infrastructure which is outdated by population growth : water demand > supply

Privatisation of water supply means firms increase prices for consumers to increase profits: seen in developing and developed countries

Question 23

Where are areas of physical water scarcity distributed

Where are areas of economic water scarcity distributed

Answer 23

Mainly found along the tropics of cancer in Mexico, North Africa , Middle East and East Asia

Mainly found in Central and East Africa , South East Asia and Latin America

Question 24

What is the River Nile (conflict from international water sources)

Describe its flows

Answer 24

Is a river which flows through 11 different countries
It has two tributaries : the White Nile and Blue Nile which meets in Sudan
Flows through arid (Sahara) and semi-arid (Sahel) areas

Question 25

Describe the supply for the River Nile

Answer 25

Supply is not evenly distributed
Is susceptible to El Niño-La Niña cycles as well as the impact of climate change which would increase evaporation losses , enhancing flood and drought cycles
Many countries along the Nile do not have physical water scarcity but do have economic scarcity

Question 26

Describe the Demand for water in the River Nile

Answer 26

600 million people are expected to live in the Nile basin by 2030
Egypt depends on the Nile for 95% of its water needs.
Other countries use the Nile for crop irrigation, HEP and Industrial processes
Water scarcity will impact food security
Demand for water means that most of the Nile basin countries will be potentially water scarce by 2025

Question 27

What is the conflict caused by the River Nile between countries

Answer 27

The Nile water agreement in 1900’s meant Egypt and Sudan had 100% water control in the Nile
The Nile Basin Initiative means all countries have equal supply
Conflict about uses of the Nile, Ethiopia is building a Dam to generate HEP

Question 28

What is the Relationship between the Water Poverty Index and the development of countries

Answer 28

Directly relate to each other
Developing countries like Hati and Ethiopia have the lowest WPI (economic scarcity)
Developed countries like USA and the UK have the highest WPI

Question 29

What is the reason for potential conflict resulting from international water sources

Answer 29

When demand for water outweighs supply a number of different players want to use the same diminished resources , leading to potential conflict

Question 30

What is the importance of water supply , Economically and Socially

(Flow)

Answer 30

1.4 billion peoples live without clean drinking water and 3.75 million die each year from dirty water
Improvements in water quality will improve health and sanitation
Reductions in deaths and illness from cholera, typhoid
Lower medical costs , fewer days off leads to improved school attendance
Improved education and career opportunities
Reduced poverty

Question 31

What is the Murray Darling River

Answer 31

A river located in Australia which covers 14% of its land mass and provides 75% of Australia’s water, as well as a home to 2 million people

Question 32

Why does the Murray Darling River have Diminishing Supplies

Answer 32

ENSO causes variations in rainfall between different areas of the basin, some areas have a deficit others have a surplus
Region is dry (500mm of rainfall) meaning its prone to drought
There is over-abstraction , high salinity levels and poorer water quality
Increased evaporation rates by 15% and 3% decrease in average rainfall

Question 33

Why does the Murray Darling River have increased demand

Answer 33

Generates 40% of the value of Australia’s agricultural demand
Produces wool, cotton, cattle, wheat, dairy produce and fruit/veg
75% of the countries irrigated crops are grown there
Lots of different players have a interest in the river

Question 34

What is the basin plan for the Murray Darling River

Answer 34

Is to ensure that water is shared between all users to allow a long term balanced and sustainable use of the river, environmentally and economically

Government plans to invest £6billion in infrastructure to improve the river

Question 35

What is the conflict caused by the basin plan for the Murray Darling River
(Conflict within Country)
Name different players

Answer 35

Farmers claim too much water has been taken , 30-40% cut . Not able to grow food leading to farming employment decreasing

Urban dwellers use water to run energy devices and food consumption, water has been lost to benefit the river environmentally

Mining uses water to extract materials for energy, lost water to be equal to other players

Environmentalists have benefitted the most. Less water is extracted from the river , making it more sustainable environmentally and ecologically

Question 36

Explain what the hard engineering scheme of the three gorges dam is to manage water supply and how it works

Pros and cons (social,environmental,economic)

Answer 36

Designed to control flooding , to improve water supply by regulating river flow and also to generate HEP

P: Enables surplus water to build up, electricity generated is vital to China’s growth, adds to blue water store

C: Very expensive, Large areas of land had to be flooded , 1.3million people lost their homes, reservoirs water quality is low, methane is released through turbines , evaporation losses are high

Question 37

Explain what the hard engineering scheme of the China water transfer project is to manage water supply and how it works

Answer 37

Three routes which will distribute water from South to North China along major rivers. Will transfer large amounts of water to urban areas

P: Improved irrigation, pollution treatment and environmental protection are part of plans, reduce risk of water shortages in Beijing and boost economic development, reduce groundwater abstraction

C: Ecological and environmental impacts, resettlement issues, severely polluted water , risk of draining too much water and reduced flowfrom South China

Question 38

Explain what the hard engineering scheme of Israel’s Desalination plant is to manage water supply and how it works

Answer 38

A plant used to extract water from the Mediterranean sea to provide a reliable, predictable and sustainable supply of water

P: plans to provide 70% of water , produces 600 tonnes per hour, advancement in technology has made it more cost effective , less energy intensive

C: Adds to co2 emissions , produces large amounts of salt which is damaging to ecosystems , very costly, spillage harms marine life

Question 39

Which techno-fixing (hard engineering scheme) is the most effective at managing water supply

Answer 39

Three gorge dam in china
Most successful project to regulate river flow and allow surplus to build up
Able to generate HEP , valuable for economic growth

Question 40

Which Techno-fixing scheme (hard-engineering) is the least effective at managing water supply

Answer 40

China water transport project
Causes pollution and worsens water quality
A lot of water channelled is unusable , could potentially decrease water quality

Question 41

Which Techno-fixing scheme (hard-engineering) is the most sustainable at managing water supply

Answer 41

Israel desalination project
Provide a reliable and predictable supply from a larger store of the ocean, rather than extracting from the 1% of world freshwater available

Question 42

Which techno-fixing (hard engineering) scheme is the least sustainable for managing water supply

Answer 42

China water transport project
The source of the river will have 60% reduced flow, the impact of climate change could further reduce the flow in the future , meaning less water is transported.
The very expensive cost is likely to continue to occur in the future with maintenance

Question 43

Give examples of sustainable schemes which have a positive impact on water conservation

Answer 43

Agriculture sprinkler and surface flood irrigation systems, which use large amounts of water, are being replaced for drip systems
Recycling of city waste water for agricultural use is a low cost option as grey water does not have to be drinking quality
Using magic stones in semi arid areas for agriculture consumes soil moisture , devices can be used to store and recycle rain
Role of technology to create GM crops,resistant to drought and use less water
Large TNC’s committed to use less water
Instillation of smart meters and devices to reduce domestic consumption
Filtration technology can purify and recycle most dirty water

Question 44

Give examples of sustainable schemes which have a positive impact on water restoration

Are they sustainable

Answer 44

Local management strategies like : restoring meanders, replanting vegetation and providing an alternative environment for users are used
On a larger scale countries like Saudi Arabia have tried to reduce water demand and prevent over-abstraction to restore aquifers

Are environmentally sustainable and bring social benefits, questioning over how economically sustainable it is

Question 45

Who are the players involved in reducing water conflict

What are there roles

Answer 45

The UN: aims to protect, ensure quality and sustainability of trans-boundary water resources. Helps with co-operation and resolving issues

The EU: Water framework directive and hydropower set targets to restore reservoirs to a good condition

National government agencies : Uk environments agency checked compliance with EU frameworks

Question 46

What are the advantages and disadvantages of water sharing treaties/frameworks

Answer 46

A
64% of events related to transboundary river basins saw some sort of agreement/support
Even though India and Pakistan have conflict they both still honour their water treaty from 1960
Actual military action only occurred in 0.5 of disagreements since 1950

D
Enforcement mechanisms and specific water allocation provisions are needed
Potential lack of collaboration and trust
Treaties may not be fair for all involved (Nile basin treaty)

Question 47

Explain the Colorado river

What are its functions

Answer 47

The Colorado River drains 7% of USA and supplies water to eight states.

Contains 11 major dams, irrigates 1.4 million hectares of farmland, provides drinking water to 50 million people, controls flooding and provides HEP.

Question 48

What are the problems occurring in the Colorado River

Answer 48

Demand and climate change have depleted storage to 48%
Since the 1990’s, average annual flow has decreased by 15%
Average temperature has increased by 2 degrees since 1970
Persistent drought since 2000

Question 49

What agreements/treaties were made for the Colorado River

Answer 49

The Colorado compact agreement (1922) is now outdated due to climate change, economic development, population growth and lifestyle changes.

New agreements in 2007 and 2012 were agreed where the amount of water available would determine supply to each state. Mexico could store some water

Question 50

What are the pros and cons of integrated water resource management (IWRM) for the Colorado river

Answer 50

P
Concrete storm drains would save storm water for irrigation
Reducing irrigation by 10% would double water available for urban areas
Domestic conservation would save 30% of water by using smart irrigation systems

C
Unfair supply : California gets too much, Native Americans get too little, less total storage
Could increase conflict between states due to unequal supply
Does not tackle water lost by inefficient use