Water - 2 Flashcards
What is Water Security?
Having reliable & sustainable source of enough good quality water to meet everyone’s needs
What does Water Security depend on?
- Amount of water available
- Number of people who need to use water
- Access to water - hard if your poor
What is Water Surplus?
Having more water than needed
What can a Water Deficit lead to?
Water insecurity - when not enough clean water to keep everyone healthy or enable them to make a living (water crops,etc)
Where does Water Security occur and give an example?
- Areas with high rainfall
- Very low population density
- E.g. Canada, Brazil
Where does Water insecurity occur and give ah example?
- Areas with low rainfall
- High population density
- E.g. Mexico, Libya
Why is water demand rising?
More people with more money
How does rising population affect the global demand for water?
- Everyone needs water for drinking, washing, preparing food
- More food needs to be grown
How does economic development affect the global demand for water?
- Industrialisation-produce more goods, manufacturing uses a lot of water
- Energy production-water used for this (e.g. cooling thermal power plants)
- Rising living standards-peoples wealth increases as can afford higher standard of living - increases water use
What is Water Availability affected by?
- How much rainfall you get
- Physical Factors
- Economic & Social Factors
How does Physical Factors of Climate affect Water Availability?
- If climate is too hot, lots of water lost from lakes & rivers due to evaporation
- Climate change altering amount of rainfall in places, how heavy rainfall is and how often
- Dry areas are getting drier = droughts
How does Physical Factors of Geology affect Water Availability?
- Rain falls on impermeable rock (clay), can’t soak in so flows off into rivers & lakes - easy to get water from
- Rain falls on permeable rock (sandstone), flows down through them & form underground water stores (aquifers) - harder to get to
- Groundwater Make water available in very dry places (Sahara desert)
How does Economic and Social Factors of Over-Abstraction affect Water Availability?
•When more water being used than replaced
Caused by:
•Population growth & economic development
•Improvements in sanitation and hygiene
•High demand from businesses - tourism & recreation put stress on places during holiday season
How does Economic and Social Factors of Water Pollution affect Water Availability?
- Reduces amount of clean water
- Major problem in rapidly industrialising countries, where industrial waste dumped into rivers
- Human & animal waste are hazards where people share water sources with animals & no sanitation
How does Economic and Social Factors of Limited Infrastructure affect Water Availability?
- Rapid urbanisation
- Water pipes & sewers can’t be built quick enough to supply the population and prevent sewage from contaminating the supply
How does Economic and Social Factors of Poverty affect Water Availability?
- Fee charged for supplying water to homes
* Poor people can’t pay so haven’t to find other sources of water, which may not be safe to drink
What Problems does Water Insecurity lead to?
- Pollution and diseasey
- Less food production
- Industrial output
- Conflict
How does Water Insecurity lead to Pollution and Disease?
- Water polluted by sewage, industrial chemicals, nitrogen from chemicals
- Cholera and typhoid caused by microorganisms passed through water containing sewage
- People forced to drink polluted water if no access to alternative water supplies - leading to death or disease
How does Water Insecurity lead to Less Food Production?
- Irrigation for agriculture uses a lot water
* Shortage of water means less food can be grown = starvation
How does Water Insecurity lead to Industrial Output?
- Manufacturing industries are water-intensive
* Produce less when water shortages = decrease in wages for people and affecting economy’s country
How does Water Insecurity lead to Conflict?
- Areas of water insecurity share same water supplies = conflict
- If a country takes more water from a river, it reduces water security of countries downstream
How can Water Transfer schemes Improve Water Supply?
- Move water from river that has surplus water to river that has a water shortage
- Transferred in pipes & canals
- Original channel dredged (deepened) to improve water flow
- Reduce water insecurity in receiving basin
What Problems can Water Transfer schemes cause
- Environmental
- Social
- Economic
What are Water Transfers?
Large scale engineering projects
