Physical mocks Flashcards
what is water stress?
if a country’s renewable freshwater supply is between 1000 and 1700mcubed per person per year
what is water insecurity?
when present and future water supplies cannot be guaranteed
what is (physical) water scarcity?
if a country’s renewable freshwater supply falls to below 1000mcubed per person per year
which areas are experiencing water scarcity?
- areas along the sub-tropical ridge are seeing water scarcity
- saudi arabia, algeria and syria are experiencing absolute scarcity (less than 500 mcubed/person/day)
- 2025 predictions show that Southern Hemisphere will see a lot of economic water scarcity whilst the north will increase most no or little water scarcity or physical water scarcity
which areas are experiencing water stress?
- much of east africa and India are experiencing water stress
explain the growing mismatch between water supply and demand
- relates to the distribution of freshwater resources (water availability) and the distribution of the demand for water
- 12% of the world’s population consumes 85% of its water
- rapid population growth in areas where supplies are limited together with an uneven distribution of global supply and a deterioration in water quality means more people are facing water shortages
what are the 4 physical causes of water insecurity?
- salt water encroachment at the coast
- climate change is changing hydrological cycle
- ENSO cycles
- blocking sub-tropical ridge
explain salt water encroachment and the Florida case study
- physical process caused by humans directly and indirectly
- more water is being abstracted from aquifers near the ocean, as more is abstracted the salt water seeps into the ground and into the aquifer, slowly contaminating the freshwater supply
- e.g. FLORIDA where water demand is increasing due to increasing affluence meaning more swimming pools and more water is being abstracted from aquifers near the ocean
what are the 2 human causes of water insecurity?
- overabstraction from rivers, lakes and groundwater aquifers
- water contamination from agriculture, industrial and domestic pollution
explain two examples of chains of reasoning for water stress and insecurity
1) increasing pop and economic growth
2) low development levels
increasing pop and economic growth - increased demand for water - overabstraction of groundwater and surface stores - salt water intrusion at the coast - water stress and scarcity
low development levels - lack of investment into making freshwater available and affordable, damage to ecosystems, decline in water availability, water stress and security
what are the 4 main factors for the rising demand of water (explained)
1) population growth
- demand for water is growing twice as fast as pop growth
- increased urbanisation puts a threat on the availability of freshwater with more than half of the world living in urban areas
- by 2030, the urban pop in Asia and africa is set to double
2) rising living standards
- increase in middle class led to sharp increase in water use, swimming pools, washing machines and dishwashers
- changing consumption patterns such as increasing meat consumption and building bigger homes
3) economic development (agriculture and industrialisation)
- the OECD predict that global water demand for manufacturing would increase by 400% from 2000-2050
- where water is not well regulated, pollution could increase dramatically with industrial spillage and poor waste management
AGRICULTURE
- in some cases up to 90% of water used by a country is for agriculture, growing demand for food
- agricultural demands for freshwater are unsustainable through increasing pesticide and fertiliser pollution, depleting aquifers and increased salinity
- 20% of the world’s irrigated land now suffers from salinity
what are the three main pressures increasing the risk of water insecurity?
1) diminishing supply
- climate change and impacts
- deteriorating quality from pollution
- impact of competing users (upstream vs downstream)
2) rising demands
- pop growth
- economic development
3) competing demands from users (within basins)
- international issues
- upstream vs downstream
- HEP vs irrigation
explain the causes and patterns of physical scarcity
- this occurs when more than 75% of a country’s or region’s blue water (accessible liquid) flows are being used
- currently applies to 25% of the population
- qualifying countries include the Middle East and North Africa
explain the causes and patterns of economic scarcity
- occurs when the use of blue water sources is limited by lack of capital, technology and good governance
- estimated that 1 billion people are restricted from accessing blue water due to poverty
- this is seen in most areas of africa and parts of continental south east Asia
why does the price of water vary globally
- whether governments own or private companies own water supplies, in Bolivia water was privatised where an American TNC took control and this led to outrage, prices soared, mass conflict
- the initial costs involved, cost of infrastructure pipes means many rely on trees vendors (can be up to 100 times the cost than if the water were to be supplied to their home), charities such as WaterAid need to offer invaluable help, their programmes help to reduce the extent of economic water security
- governments can choose to tax water supplies or subsidise, in Denmark it is most expensive as government are trying to reduce consumption, canada subsidies for consumers, canada it is heavily subsidised by the gov and so water is 80% cheaper than in Germany where it is private.
- supply and demand
- colonial governments would install limited infrastructure and the IMF restricts gov spending on water and so now water provision is often controlled by the private sector
explain the water poverty index
the WPI uses five measures to indicate levels of water insecurity:
1) resources- the physical availability of surface and groundwater and its quality
2) access- the accessibility of safe water for human use, including domestic, industrial and agricultural use
3) capacity- the effectiveness of water management to ensure affordability
4) use- the use of water for different purposes, including domestic, industrial and agricultural use
5) environment- water management strategies to ensure ecological sustainability
each of the measures are scored out of 20 to give an overall score of up to 100
explain the water poverty index for the UK, china and the USA
UK- they have a very good WPI at 71, they score the best in terms of capacity at 17.8 meaning they are very efficient in terms of the water they use
China- they have a medium WPI at 56.6 with their use scoring the highest at 18, this could be down to their growing pop and middle class, they score the best in terms of resources at 7.1
USA- they have a a medium WPI at 58.5, their use is at 1.3 as they waste a lot of water, they are not efficient
explain the importance of water supply for human well-being (two chains of reasoning)
improvements in water, reduction in illnesses from dirty water (65% reduction in deaths from diarrhoea), improved health, access to working life and therefore reduced poverty
improvements in water, lower medical costs and fewer days off work, improved school attendance, improved education and career opportunities, reduced poverty
- water, particularly that polluted by lack of sanitation, is an effective medium for the breeding and transmission of diseases such as typhoid and cholera
- safe water is vital to human health particularly in the context of washing and food preparation, also productive breeding ground for disease vector such as parasitic worms and mosquitoes
- millennium development goals aimed to halve the number of people without access to safe drinking water and sanitation by 2015
- the WHO says ‘every dollar spent on improving sanitation generates an average economic benefit of US$7
this shows that water is very important for economic development, quality of life and escaping the cycle of poverty
explain the importance of water supply for economic development (industry, energy supply, agriculture)
agriculture
- agriculture dominates water use, more than twice the total withdrawn for industrial and domestic purposes
- in some countries 90% of water used in a country is for agriculture
- 20% of the world’s irrigated and of this most is pumped directly from aquifers and is leading to massive groundwater depletion , water situation is unsustainable
industry and energy
- just over 20% of all freshwater withdrawals are for industrial and energy production
- mounting concern of the growth of biofuels as the crops are very thirsty
- water pollution is a major problems associated with much of this industrial use of water
explain Madagascar’s dirty water
- contaminated drinking water has led to the country having one of the highest rates of stunting in the world
- stunted children don’t grow properly, physically and cognitively, this can therefore affect school and employment and therefore poverty
- 160 million children under 5 are stunted, half of children in Madagascar are stunted
- WaterAid having to intervene in order to guarantee sustainability and preventing stunting and malnutrition
what has the privatisation of water systems resulted in for developing nations?
in the 1980s the world bank and IMF gave loans to developing countries to privatise their water system to reduce costs but many have cancelled these projects as the water becomes unaffordable for a lot of people
explain what is happening in Bolivia to water
- 50% average increase in water rates for SEMAPA customers (water company) led to many residents becoming opposed to privatisation
- the smaller providers are given poorly constructed and deteriorating systems which have an estimated 35% of their water being lost to leaks
- those outside the grid are forced to pay 5 to 10 times more than SEMAPA consumers
explain what is happening in Canada to water
- current water charges are about 1/4 of european rates and 3/4 of American rates
- the rates in OECD nations are often not high enough to cover basic utility operations and maintenance costs
- almost 40% of Montreal’s water is lost each year due to leaky infrastructure cost estimated to repair at $4 billion
explain what is happening in denmark to water
- the highest prices for fresh water in the world as they believe that by setting high pries it will help the environment as they will appreciate its scarcity and true value, this leads to greater water conservation, water consumption has dropped dramatically however they have seen an economic strain as a result.