River Basin Management - global issues 1

Question 1

The need for water management

Answer 1

water will become very limited in the future. Almost 1.4 billion people don’t have access to clean water. this shows the amount of water will never increase nor decrease, so we need to find a way to manage it better

Question 2

Physical factors

Answer 2

• solid foundation: use igneous rock (granite) or metamorphic rock (gneiss) also provides support, best not to build across an earthquake fault line
• rock not permeable or porous: to prevent seepage from the dam and flooded lake, ideally use crystaline granite
• narrow valley across which the dam will be built: reduces cost
• deep valley: allow a deep lake to contain flood water, and a smaller area reducing evaporation

Question 3

Human factors

Answer 3

• consider the impact of the dam and the flooded reservoir: how many people would have to be resettled? (e.g 3 Gorges Dam, 1.2 million were forced to move)
• Historical sites could be lost: 3 Gorges Dam, 1300 archaeological sites were moved or flooded, 2700 hectares of farmland and orchards, and 19 cities were inundated with water
• workers accessibility needs to be considered, most cases migrant labour was bought in
• sensitivities of native cultures need to be considered (e.g native american burial sites)

Question 4

3 Gorges Dam; economical advantages

Answer 4

• key means of attracting economical growth into the heartland of china from the prosperous coast
• cheap electricity will attract new industry, providing power
• may become a significant tourist attraction

Question 5

3 Gorges Dam: economical disadvantages

Answer 5

• took 20 years to build and cost us$ 70 billion, diverted funds from other developments
• the dam submerged 13 cities, 140 towns and 1350 villages
• government promised land to farmers, job for city dwellers, cash compensation for all dam dustees, however had little spare

Question 6

3 Gorges Dam: social advantages

Answer 6

• regulate the water in the Yangtze river, stopping seasonal flooding and saving lives
• produce electricity which will improve quality of lives for locals living around it
• water can be used to irrigate areas during the dry season

Question 7

3 Gorges Dam: social disadvantages

Answer 7

• communities have been split up, been relocated higher up the valley
• human rights activists objected to the forced removal of almost 2 million people without compensation

Question 8

3 Gorges Dam: environmental advantages

Answer 8

• control of/ protection against floods, up to 10 million people will be protected
• 18000 megawatts of energy generated, reduction on its dependency on coal and contribute to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions

Question 9

3 Gorges Dam: environmental disadvantages

Answer 9

• submerged factories, mines and waste dumps have affected drinking water supplies
• geological hazards; earthquakes
• rapid downstream erosion
• 530 million tonnes of silt will be deposited in the reservoir reducing capacity and choke turbines

Question 10

3 Gorges Dam: political advantages

Answer 10

• government proud of scale of project
• had helped to encourage trade and financial links to the rest of the world
• increased as a global finance centre
• reduced the chaos and the political fury that would erupt if there was a repeat of the disastrous flooding of the past

Question 11

3 Gorges Dam: political disadvantages

Answer 11

• arguments between the chinese government and local groups, environment groups and human rights groups
• corruption groups now being exposed
• the dam could be a target for terrorism