Global demand for water

Question 1

Water Insecurity

Answer 1

Is not having enough clean water.

Question 2

Water security depends on:

Answer 2

• amount of water available
• the number of people who need to use the water
• accessibility of water

Question 3

Water surplus

Answer 3

Having more water than you need.

Question 4

Water deficit

Answer 4

Not enough water to meet demand.

Question 5

Water stress

Answer 5

When demand for water exceeds supply during certain period, or water is not of high quality enough to use.

Question 6

Raising population

Answer 6

• each person needs water for drinking, washing and preparing food
• more people means more food needs to be grown
• irrigation for agriculture uses 70 percent of world’s fresh water

Question 7

Economic development

Answer 7

• manufacturing uses a lot of water
• energy production- 15 percent of water is used to produce electricity
• rising living standards- people use more water because they can afford it

Question 8

Physical factors of water insecurity

Answer 8

• climate-little rainfall
• climate change makes dry areas even drier
• geology-impermeable rock cause all water to run-off to rivers not to underground

Question 9

Human factors of water insecurity

Answer 9

• population growth
• improvements in personal hygiene
• high demand for manufacturing
• to produce more food
• the pollution of rivers and water sources
• limited infrastructure- no water pipes
• poverty-people cannot afford to buy clean water

Question 10

Impacts of water insecurity

Answer 10

• pollution and diseases
• food production may decrease
• industrial output may decrease
• conflicts

Question 11

Water transfer schemes

Answer 11

Large-scale engineering projects that move water from areas of water surplus to areas of water deficit.

Question 12

How does water transfer scheme work?

Answer 12

• water is transferred using canals and pipes

- deepen the river channel

Question 13

Dams and reservoirs

Answer 13

• building dam across river traps water, creating a reservoir
• period of water surplus, the reservoir would fill
• there can be a consistent flow of water all year around

Question 14

Desalination

Answer 14

Removal of salt from seawater.

• very expensive
• In the UK desalination is used during droughts
• wealthy desert countries such as UAE use it as the main source

Question 15

Water conservation

Answer 15

• fixing leaking reservoirs and pipes
• dual-flush toilet
• buying more efficient washing machine and dishwashers
• educating pople to take shorter showers
• drip irrigation, reducing evaporation

Question 16

Groundwater management

Answer 16

• amount of water extracted should be monitored
• make sure that water is not extracted faster than replaced
• discourage farmers to use pesticides and chemicals
• if groundwater source is shared between countries, international agreements are needed to make sure it is sustainably used

Question 17

Grey water

Answer 17

Type of recycled water. It is mostly wastewater from peoples homes.

Question 18

Recycling water

Answer 18

• water from industries and homes can be piped to a treatment plant, cleaned and reused
• grey water can be used to irrigate garden or to flush toilet
• the very water conserves energy required to clean water