Resource Management

Question 1

What are the case studies for resource management?

Answer 1

• Great Man-made river, Libya—> large scale water transfer scheme
• The Wakel river basin project, Rajasthan (India) —> local scheme to increase sustainable water supply

Question 2

What are the advantages of The Great Man-Made river

Answer 2

• 6.5 million m3 of water per day
• Hydration + hygiene
• Irrigation of crops
• Reduced dependency on food imports
• Employment+ up skilling of population
• Creation of ‘hydro’ business

Question 3

What are the disadvantages of the Great Man-made river

Answer 3

• Phase 1 of 5 costs $14 billion
• Caused conflict with neighbour countries
• Unsustainable rate of abstraction
• CO2 released in using concrete pipes
• Costly and complex to maintain (leaks)
• Targeted by NATO war planes in civil war

Question 4

The Great Man- made river facts

Answer 4

Where? Libya, North Africa
What? Large scale water transfer project
When? 1970’s - today
Who? Colonel Gaddafi and World Bank
Why? Provided water security by transporting fresh water from the Nubian sandstone aquifer to Tripoli and Benghazi

Question 5

The Wakel River Basin project facts

Answer 5

Where? Rajasthan state, India
What? Local scheme to increase sustainable water supply
When? 2004- 2014
Who? USAID and Global Water for sustainability program
Why? Arid climate and growing poor population resulted in unsustainable over-abstraction of water from aquifers

Question 6

What are the 4 Wakel river Basin project strategies?

Answer 6

• Education
• Taankas
• Pats
• Joheds

Question 7

What is the education strategy for Wakel river basin project

Answer 7

• Education of local people in rainwater harvesting + careful management of groundwater supplies

Question 8

What are taankas?

Answer 8

• Collect + store rainwater
• Simple/ cheap to build + maintain
• Capacity to hold up to 50,000 litres
• Built into ground as it’s cooler

Question 9

What are Pats?

Answer 9

• They divert river water to irrigate fields using submerged ‘bunds’
• Appropriate technology- made of stones + leaves

Question 10

What are Joheds?

Answer 10

• Johed are small earth dams to collect rainwater
• Raises to water table + prevents rivers drying up

Question 11

Why is water demand increasing?

Answer 11

1. rising population- more people need water for drinking, cooking, cleaning- more people require more food - Irrigation for agriculture uses 70% of the worlds freshwater resources
2. Economic development:
   - Industrialisation - as countries become more developed, they produce more goods manufacturing uses a lot of water.
   - Energy production – developed countries require more energy. Some estimates suggest that over 50million m³ of freshwater is used and you need to produce energy.
   - Rising living standards – as countries develop people become wealthy and are able to afford a higher standard of living. This increases water used as more people can afford flushing, toilets, showers and dishwashers.

Question 12

What affects water availability?

Answer 12

-climate
- geology
- over abstraction
- polluted water sources
- Limited infrastructure
- poverty

Question 13

What impacts can water insecurity have?

Answer 13

-Pollution and disease- waterborne diseases e.g. cholera caused by bacteria in contaminated water
-reduced food production - agricultural irrigation uses a lot of water- water shortage= crop growth can be limited
- reduced industrial output- manufacturing industries are hugely water intensive so can’t produce during water shortages this reduces workers incomes and affects the economy
-conflict

Question 14

How can water supplies be increased?

Answer 14

• dams and reservoirs
• water diversion
• water transfer
• desalination