Water Cycle Eq 3

Question 1

Water stress

Answer 1

When the annual water supply of water falls below 1700m3

Question 2

Water scarcity

Answer 2

When the annual supply of water per person falls below 1000m3

Question 3

Physical scarcity

Answer 3

Occurs when more than 75% of a country’s or a regions blue water flows are being used- this currently applies to 25% of the worlds population

Question 4

Economic scarcity

Answer 4

Occurs when the development of the blue water sources is limited by a lack of capital, technology and good governance

Question 5

Virtual water

Answer 5

The hidden flow of water when food or other commodities are traded

Question 6

Key causes of water insecurity

Answer 6

-over abstraction from rivers, lakes and groundwater aquifers
-water contamination from agriculture
-industrial water pollution
-climate variability
-saltwater encroachment

Question 7

Industrial water pollution

Answer 7

-industrial waste is dumped into rivers and then ends up in oceans
-in China, 300 million people use contaminated water daily and 190 million suffer from water related illnesses annually
-untreated sewage disposal especially in developing countries causes water borne diseases such as typhoid, cholera and hepatitis
-estimated by WHO that by 2020, 135 million people could die from these diseases

Question 8

Saltwater encroachment at the coast

Answer 8

-movement of saltwater into freshwater aquifers due to sea level rise, storm surges and human abstraction of groundwater from the water table
-this happens under natural conditions with the seaward movement of freshwater reducing saltwater enrichment in coastal zones

Question 9

Over abstraction from rivers lakes and groundwater aquifers

Answer 9

-humans can over abstraction from rivers, lakes and groundwater sources for domestic purposes
-by 2025, total projected is to reach over 5000 cubic km per year
-until recently agriculture absorbed over 70% of extractions globally but industrial usage is rising especially in developed countries

Question 10

Water contamination from agriculture

Answer 10

-expansion of commercial agriculture has led to increases in nitrate and phosphate fertiliser applications, causing eutrophication
-leads to excessive growth of plant life and death of animal life due to lack of oxygen
-many pesticides are banned in developed countries due to their health hazards

Question 11

Climate variability

Answer 11

-global variations in the distribution of freshwater resources due to natural climate variability between arid and human climates
-climate change may increase this variability
-warmer climate in some locations increase rates of evaporation and transportation leading to less effective precipitation
-warmer water encourages growth of bacteria and other organisms that are harmful to human health

Question 12

What is the water poverty index

Answer 12

An assessment of the degree of water shortage and the subsequent water insecurity problems

Question 13

Factors influencing the price of water

Answer 13

-cost of obtaining the supply
-investment in infrastructure
-demand
-government policies
-privatisation
-lack of piped water supply

Question 14

What percentage of freshwater withdrawal world wide is used for industry and energy?

Answer 14

20%

Question 15

Aral sea location

Answer 15

-once one of the four largest lakes in the world (68,000 sq km)
-the northern part is in Kazakhstan
-southern in Uzbekistan
-western and central parts are covered in plains
-eastern part is occupied by mountain ranges (Himalayas)

Question 16

Cause of the problem- Aral Sea

Answer 16

-in the 1930s, planners started to build canals to take water from the two main rivers
-in order to develop irrigated cotton and rice farming in the area
-in the 1960s more canals for irrigation were built
-70% of the irrigation water either leaked out of the canals or was evaporated from them
-less and less water flowed

Question 17

Social impacts of Aral Sea

Answer 17

-people had to move away as few jobs were available
-High rate of respiratory disease in the area, especially tuberculosis
-cancer more widely particularly the throat
-growth of anaemia amongst local people as well as a kidney, eye and liver problems

Question 18

Economic impacts- Aral Sea

Answer 18

-collapse of fishing industry
-many people became unemployed
-few jobs available in the new irrigated and rice farms
-local shops and services such as schools found it harder to survive and forced to close or amalgamate

Question 19

Environmental impacts- Aral Sea

Answer 19

-as the sea shrank, water became more polluted and saline
-affected the local climate which became colder in winter and hotter in summer
-The dried out sea bed contained many chemical residue from pesticides and fertiliser as well as sewage residue
-huge toxic dust Storms by local winds
-70,00,000 tons of salt rose into the atmosphere

Question 20

Arguments for the Gibe III dam

Answer 20

-growing population
-needed for hydroelectric power
-increase the capacity to generate electricity
-lots of jobs created
-allow Ethiopia to become an exporter of electricity to Kenya, Sudan and Djibouti
-support irrigation
-regulate flowing downstream
-double the electric capacity

Question 21

Arguments against the dam

Answer 21

-high construction cost of $1.83 billion
-governments broke rules as they were in such a rush
-as they broke rules organisations such as the world bank would not fund the dam and lack of transparency
-half a million people live downstream
-broke international transparency rules such as the environmental impact
-environmental impact was done two years after construction started
-could lead to conflict between people fighting over scarce resources: mursi tribe and nyangaton tribe

Question 22

Where is the river quaggy?

Answer 22

South east London, Lewisham and greenwich

Question 23

What had been done to prevent the quaggy from flooding Greenwich?

Answer 23

Artificial channels and culverts were built to divert it beneath ground surface

Question 24

What caused an increased flood risk in Lewisham and Greenwich?

Answer 24

Increased urban development

Question 25

What kind of approach did the environment agency choose to deal with this increased flood risk?

Answer 25

Soft engineering

Question 26

Why was sutcliffe park lowered and shaped?

Answer 26

To create a floodplain where water could collect naturally

Question 27

Environmental benefits the river restoration scheme had

Answer 27

-reduced flooding
-restored wildlife

Question 28

Advantages of Singapore water schemes

Answer 28

-self reliant
-sustainable
-good for environment
-less wastage
-reduced demand for water
-in control of own water supply
-cost falls on average 4%

Question 29

Disadvantage of Singapore sustainable water schemes

Answer 29

-very expensive
-need huge quantities of energy
-high costs can be passed onto consumers
-locked into agreement with Malaysia who could use it as a political weapon or make it more expensive

Question 30

What is NEWater?

Answer 30

High grade recycled water produced from used water that is treated and further purified using advanced membrane technologies and ultraviolet disinfection making it ultra clean and safe to drink

Question 31

Rain water harvesting jars in Uganda pros

Answer 31

-close to home
-removes the need for people to travel far
-jars have long life and provide a stable source for many years
-relativity cheap materials used
-relatively straight forward
-encourages increased consumption
-deducted back strain or injury from carrying heavy water containers

Question 32

Rain water harvesting jars in Uganda cons

Answer 32

-contaminated by bird droppings
-some poorly constructed jars can suffer from algal growth
-invasion by insects, lizards and rodents
-can act as a breeding ground for disease vectors