Global demand for water Flashcards
Water Insecurity
Is not having enough clean water.
Water security depends on:
- amount of water available
- the number of people who need to use the water
- accessibility of water
Water surplus
Having more water than you need.
Water deficit
Not enough water to meet demand.
Water stress
When demand for water exceeds supply during certain period, or water is not of high quality enough to use.
Raising population
- 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
Economic development
- 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
Physical factors of water insecurity
- climate-little rainfall
- climate change makes dry areas even drier
- geology-impermeable rock cause all water to run-off to rivers not to underground
Human factors of water insecurity
- 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
Impacts of water insecurity
- pollution and diseases
- food production may decrease
- industrial output may decrease
- conflicts
Water transfer schemes
Large-scale engineering projects that move water from areas of water surplus to areas of water deficit.
How does water transfer scheme work?
- water is transferred using canals and pipes
- deepen the river channel
Dams and reservoirs
- 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
Desalination
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
Water conservation
- 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
Groundwater management
- 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
Grey water
Type of recycled water. It is mostly wastewater from peoples homes.
Recycling water
- 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
