Water Cycle case studies Flashcards
Mega dam
Three gorges dam in China
Hydroelectric power on Yangtze River, worlds largest power station
100 towns submerged when the dam was built
The emerging industry are winners due to power generation
It controls water levels in Jinjiang river
Water transfer project
South- North water transfer project in China
$62 billion cost
Diverts 44.8 cubic meters per year from Yangtze River to Yellow river basin in northern China
330K people had to be relocated for expansion of reservoir
Deforestation
Amazonia
Humans disrupt drainage basin cycle
20% forest destroyed
Removes sinks and stores
Increased soil erosion
Decreased interception and percolation
Water conflicts
River Tigris and Euphrates
River supplies Syria and Iraq but its source is in Turkey
Reduced water flows 80% and 40% in Iraq and Syria
Syria built dams so less water reached Iraq: allowed salt water encroachment and decreased agricultural yield in Iraq
Intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) predicts permanent decrease in rainfall so more conflicts as Iraq has less water
The deal was that Turkey would maintain 500 cubic meters a second in 1987
Bolivian water war 2000
Contracted Aguas del Tunari to administer water provision in Cochabamba - increasing water rates and irrigation networks for farming communities- so they charged new customers and paid for themselves
Barricades, rallies so government dispatched soldiers using weapons
Protesters grew so government collapsed and reversed privation
Defining water insecurity
Water stress- between 1000 and 1700 cubic metres per capita
Restriction on water use
Renewable water sources- internal= recharge of aquifers, discharge os rivers, external= generated outside the country
Water scarcity= 500-1000 , unsatisfied demand, competition
Absolute water scarcity- less than 500, widespread restrictions
Nile River Basin
Shared by 11 African countries- Egypt depends on river for 90% of needs
Pressure from economic development, pop growth and climate change
Egypt and Sudan have built dams and countries upstream would like to- so strongly opposed
Water poverty in Karachi, Pakistan
Queues for 7 hours at water board office- first come first served
20 million population most have no running water
Criminal gangs selling water on black market = extracting from pipelines
Richer drink bottled water and use it for swimming pools
River regimes - climatic influence on water budgets
Amazon- uniform, discharge high all year round, low flow Nov = below 100,000 cumecs
Yukon- seasonal, distinct periods, low flow in winter= below 1000 cumecs
America
Murray Darling- seasonal, low builds to Hugh discharge, lowest flow below 100 cumecs in January
Australia
Drainage basin
North China aquifer- reliant on groundwater, 11% of population, 13% of agricultural production, 70% of coal production
Deforestation in Amazon- increased demand for beef and soy, drought will be norm by 2050 if deforestation rebounds
