Water consumption and sources

Question 1

Where are the statistics for water consumption from?

Answer 1

The 2003 “Water for People, Water for Life” United Nations World Water Development Report.

Question 2

What percentage of water in the world is used for agricultural purposes?

Answer 2

70%

Question 3

What percentage of water in the world is used for industrial purposes?

Answer 3

22%

Question 4

What percentage of water in the world is used for domestic purposes?

Answer 4

8%

Question 5

What percentage of water in HICs is used for agricultural purposes?

Answer 5

30%

Question 6

What percentage of water in HICs is used for industrial purposes?

Answer 6

59%

Question 7

What percentage of water in HICs is used for domestic purposes?

Answer 7

11%

Question 8

What percentage of water in LICs is used for agricultural purposes?

Answer 8

82%

Question 9

What percentage of water in LICs is used for industrial purposes?

Answer 9

10%

Question 10

What percentage of water in LICs is used for domestic purposes?

Answer 10

8%

Question 11

For what 2 reasons are there differences in HICs and LICs the percentage of water used for agricultural purposes?

Answer 11

1. In HICs, automated irrigation systems use 75 litres of water per second.
2. LICs, hand-worked irrigation uses 2 litres of water per second.

Question 12

For what 2 reasons are there differences in HICs and LICs the percentage of water used for industrial purposes?

Answer 12

1. HICs have large-scale factories.

2. LICs have small-scale cottage industry.

Question 13

For what 2 reasons are there differences in HICs and LICs the percentage of water used for domestic purposes?

Answer 13

1. In HICs, many domestic appliances that use water such as dishwashers and washing machines are widely available. Also, all houses are fitted with taps, giving easy access to water.
2. In LICs, clothes and dishes are often washed in the river. The same water that is used for cooking or washing up is used for personal cleaning. In countries like Ghana, the women have to walk 5 km to get a bucket of water for the day.

Question 14

For what 6 reasons has greater wealth and increasing levels of development contributed to increasing water consumption?

Answer 14

1. HICs are described as ‘shower societies’, meaning that they have easy access to water and are conscious about sanitation, so they wash everyday therefore using high amounts of water.
2. Growth in sales of labour-saving equipment has led to increasing water consumption. For example, the number of British homes owning dishwashers has increased from 0% in 1973 to 40% in 2009.
3. Personal hygiene has also increased; in the 1950s, one bath a week was common. Now however, many people shower daily or more if they play sport or go to a gym.
4. The huge growth in the number of golf courses has also led to increasing water consumption.
5. There were 603 new courses built in the UK between 1990 and 2004.
6. In southern Spain, tourists expect their hotels to have swimming pools, often filled at the expense of the local people.

Question 15

How is water obtained from aquifers? (7)

Answer 15

1. An aquifer is a body of permeable rock that can contain or transmit groundwater.
2. The rainwater falling on the Chilterns and the North Downs soaks into the chalk, which is a large area of porous rock. These are like giant sponges that fill with water. They are called aquifers.
3. The highest level of water in an aquifer is known as the water table. The level of this varies according to whether there is a lot or a little rainfall and also if temperatures are high this can lead to water being sucked from the ground and lowering the water table.
4. To extract water from an aquifer a hole is drilled down to below the water table and pressure will cause water to flow up the pipe to the surface where it is stored in tanks and then transferred to areas of need by pipeline.
5. Clay is an impermeable rock so the water will; not soak into it. This means the rainwater will not go deeper down into the bedrock.
6. The extraction of water from aquifers can lead to problems. Mexico City is built on an aquifer. With a population of 20 million, the aquifer is being drained quicker than it can be replenished in order to provide for the people. This has led to areas of the city sinking.
7. Sand and gravel, Chalk aquifer, Water table, Impermeable clay, Sandstone.

Question 16

How is water obtained from reservoirs? (6)

Answer 16

1. A reservoir is an artificial lake of water held behind a dam to store water for irrigation, drinking, recreation, power or other use.
2. The rock underneath needs to be impermeable so that the stored water won’t leak away.
3. Direct supply reservoirs store water and supply it straight to a water treatment works before it is sent to homes and businesses.
4. River regulating reservoirs store water during rainy periods so that the river can be topped up during dry spells. They release extra water into the river so that it can be taken out further downstream for treatment and supply.
5. In Hanningfield in Essex, there is a reservoir with a capacity of 25 billion litres. It includes a wildlife Site of Special Scientific Interest.
6. The King George V and William Girling reservoirs in Chingford are owned by Thames Water. A sailing club is based on the King George V reservoir and the reservoirs have been designated as Sites of Scientific Interest because of their large bird populations.

Question 17

How is water obtained from rivers? (2)

Answer 17

1. A river is a large natural stream of water flowing in a channel to the sea, a lake, or another stream.
2. River-regulating reservoirs store water during rainy periods so that the river can be topped up during dry spells. This water can be taken out further downstream at treatment plants.

Question 18

For what 5 reasons do water supplies vary?

Answer 18

1. Some places have a surplus and some a deficit.
2. Distribution of rainfall is uneven around the world.
3. Some areas have high evapotranspiration rates so rainwater is quickly taken back into the atmosphere.
4. Major desert areas have a physical water deficit because they have low rainfall and high evaporation rates.
5. Many African and South American countries suffer an economic scarcity because they cannot afford to access available water.