Water Flashcards
Four uses of water
Agriculture (animals + irrigation)
Households (toilets + washing machines + drinking water)
Industry + energy prod. (Manufacturing + cooling process)
Dams (Leaks + evaporation)
Causes for growing demand for water
Popualtion growth - More poeple –> more water needed.
Domestic demand - Development = more tech (eg washing machines) –> more water
Agricultural demand - Pop.growth + farming in more arid areas bc of climate change –> more irrigation
Industrial demand - pop. + wealth growth –> more demand for industrial products
Energy production - (Leakage from dams), coal + nuclear plants –> cooling processes –> may pollute it / water evaporates –> removed from local use.
Strategies to increase water supply - Dams + reservoirs
Dams block rivers –> creates reservoirs holding water –> large supply year round –> less water insecurity + monitors flooding as river flow can be monitored (also HEP) + (collects rain
Strategies to increase water supply - List
Dams + reservoirs
Water transfers
Desalination plants
Strategies to increase water supply - Water transfers
Water surplus in one area + shortage in another –> so water transferred.
Canals + pipes transport water to rivers/reservoirs
Used in Las Vegas
Strategies to increase water supply - Desalination plants
Removes salt from seawater
(Very expensive + uses a lot of energy)
(Used in California)
Solution to water shortages + pollution (without increasing water supply) - List
Irrigation
Reduced leakage (dams + pipes)
Water metering
Constuction of wells
Conservation + education
Stone bunds
Solution to water shortages + pollution - Irrigation
Drip irrigation use bc more efficient (wastes less water
Redistributes water to places where its needed.
Solution to water shortages + pollution - Reduced leakage
Updating old pipe networks
Stops water from leaking + disappearing from local use.
Solution to water shortages + pollution - Water metering
Charging people per unit water used instead of flat fee
–> Reduces wastage bc people don’t want to pay.
Solution to water shortages + pollution - Construction of wells
(Done in communities which can’t afford pipes)
Accesses groundwater (aquifiers) –> provides clean water
Solution to water shortages + pollution - Conservation + education
Water users educated about methods to reduce water wastage.
Eg. watering lawn at night, showering not bathing, reusing shower water for garden.
Water shortage causes (not causes as to why there’s a growing demand) - List
Climate change
Groundwater depletion
Pollution
Political
Mismanagement
Water shortage causes - Climate change
Rising sea levels - Threaten coastal freshwater wetlands + risk of sewater entering aquifiers.
Warmer temps - Increase evaporation from rivers / surface stores
Water shortage causes - Groundwater depletion
More water being taken out of aquifier than is being recharged.
Water shortage causes - Pollution
Agriculture –> fertiliser run-off
Industry –> Metals + chemicals
Sewage
(Go into rivers/ aquifiers)
Water shortage causes - Political
Rivers run through several coutnries (countries control it, limiting use)
Eg. The Nile
Water shortage causes - Mismanagement
Water not used sustainably –> shortages (eg. Aral sea)
Economic water scarcity
Water is available, but inaccessable / unusable (due to a lack of infrastructure)
Eg. groundwater –> expensive to extract
Physical water scarcity
Not enough water available (eg. low precipitation rates)
Water stress
When demand for water exceeds the supply of water (drought/shortage)
Issues caused by water shortages/ pollution - List
Crop failure - Farmer can’t irrigate crops bc of water shortages so they die.
Famine - If crops fail + livestock die –> no food –> people malnourished
Drought - water stress –> drought may occur –> below average supply of water (rainfall)
Conflict - Limited water supply –> conflict between countries + regions over rivers etc.
Eutrophication - Fertiliser runoff –> river –> algae blooms –> decreases oxygen in water –> plants + animals die –> habitat loss
Biodiversity loss - Pollution/Eutrophication –> biodiversity loss (eg in wetlands). Droughts -> animals + plants die bc of thirst/starvation.
Boreholes
Well that has been drilled into the earth and uses a diesel/hand pump to extract water
Playpump
Charity to rpovide clean water in Rural Africa
- Playpump = waterpump connected to an aquifier –> created using borehole drilled down to aquifier.
- Merry-go-round spins (bc children play) –> kinetic energy –> pumps water up into a large tank (pumps approx. 1400 l water /hour)
- Affordable tech bc advertising on it, pays for maintenance
Global water usage - Eg. Bangladesh vs UK
Developed/ emerging countries use more water than developing countries
- Developing countries (Bangladesh) use most water in agriculture bc its a large part of the economy.
- Developed coutnries have more water usage for industrial also much higher %
Bangladesh - 2.2% Industry, 10% Domestic, 87.8% Agriculture
UK - 33% Industry, 57.1% Domestic, 9.9% Agriculture
Drought
Temporary water shortage cause by climatic reasons (lack of rainfall)
Water shortage
Seasonal, annual or multi-annual water stress condition.
Caused by water stress.
(Droughts are temporary + caused by climate (low rainfall) whereas water shortages are due to human reasons)
Tanzania - Impacts of water shortages
- Tanzania –> one of poorest countries in world –> 2/3 of pop. experience water scarcity (infrastructure to transport water not there)
- Thus women + girls walk to collect water from riverbeds (risk of contamination) + unable to attend schol + women thus can’t have jobs –> less income for families
- Risk of cholera spreading in water / other water borne disease –> children sick –> no school –> money needed for medicine
- Communities with water points –> 12% increase school attendance
Colorado river - Location
Loacted SW USA + N Mexico (states include Wyomin, Nevada + Colorado (where it originates in rocky mountains)
Water management schemes in Colorado river
- 14 major dams (eg. Lake mead + Hoover dam)
- Aqueducts + canals (eg. All American Canal –> California agriculture)
- Desalination plant in California
Why water management schemes at Colorado river is necessary.
- Water for 40 million people + 7 states
- Water used to produce approx. 15% of USA’s produce/livestock
- Recreational industries, eg. fishing, camping, hiking etc.
- Hydro-electric power for electricity
Environmental impacts on Colorado river
- River has shrunk/dried up –> habital loss for birds + fish
- Now the river barely makes it to the Gulf of California
Advantages of Colorado river - Water management schemes
- Lake mead –> recreational purposes
- Provides drinking water for 40 million people
- Renewable enery
- Water provided to 7 st
- Economic benefits (eg. Las Vegas) –> water led to growth of leisure + tourism industry
Disadvantages of Colorado river - Water management schemes
- Dams –> loss of settlements + habitats
- Water stress (usage unsustainable bc too many competing users) –> (conflict)
- Not enough water to support farming in Mexico
- Desalination plants = Expensive + uses a lot of energy.
