Water Cycle eq3 Flashcards
water scarcity
annual water supply per person falls below 500-1000m^3
physical scarcity
lack of available freshwater resources to meet demand due to over abstractation
economic scarcity
water resources are available but there is insufficient captial to access the water
absolute water scarcity
when annual supply of water falls below 500m^3 per person
water stress
annual water supply falls below 1700m^3, causing temporary shortages
water insecurity
when present and future water supplies can not be guaranteed
how many people live in countries where water supplies can not be guaranteed?
2 million
water gap
only 50% of available water is used
climate variability
places with more rainfall will recieve greater access to freshwater and people in droughts will have no access to water
improving living standards
- changing consumption patterns eg increasing meat consumption
- larger homes
- more cars
increasing population and urbanisation
- increasing by 80 million a year
- a demand for water rising twice as fast
- more than half the worlds population live in urban areas
agriculture and industrial water pollution
- at least 70% consumption of water
- 60% more food by 2050 will need to be produced
over abstractation from rivers
- insufficient use of crop production
- groundwater supplies in Gaza are being contaminated by salt
- eg Aral sea dried up
salt water encroachment of the coast
- contaminating aquifers and freshwater needed for agriculture eg Bangladesh
- increasing sea levels
Europe and central Asia
declining water quality in countries with groundwater pollution eg the Aral Sea and the Mediterranian
Asia and the Pacific
- 1/3 of the population lack access to safe drinking water
- 500,000 diarrhoea related deaths
- 90% of freshwater used for agriculture
Africa
- lack groundwater protection
- 19/25 countries that have the lowest access to water are in Africa
Latin America and the Caribbean
- poor sanitation - only 2% of sewage water is treated
- economic scarcity
- groundwater contamination increasing from mining
North America
- water pollution from Agricultural runoff has contaminated many ground and surface waters
- changes to rainfall in California (blamed on El Nino)
How many people lack access to clean water?
1.2 billion - suggesting the root cause is poverty
The water poverty index
- resources
- access
- capacity
- use
- environment
Gives a general score out of 100, with Canada having thr highest of 78 and Ethiopia having the lowest with 45. Measured on a radar graph.
why does the price of water vary globally?
- cost (including cost of transport)
- demand
- privatisation
warter privatisation
- england and wales privatised their water in 1989 aiming to attract private investment
- from 1989-2023, water companies paid out £53 billion in dividends
pros of water privatisation
improved efficiency
- more efficient operations and better management practices
- enhanced service delivery and reduced water losses
increased investment
- attract private capital
cons of water privatisation
higher costs for consumers
- increase water tarrifs
- makes less affordable for LIC
profit motive over public interest
- cost cutting measures compromise water quality and service reliability
privatisation a failure?
failed attempts
- Tanzania’s private operator failed to deliver promised improvements
Negative social impacts
- the Cochabamba water war in Bolivia
What were nearly 2/3 of all conflicts between 1948 and 2008 about?
The quantity of water available
What can cause water conflicts?
creating dams and diversion canals
Who can water conflicts affect at a local scale?
farmers, industries and households
Who can water conflicts affect at an International scale?
governments, users of transboundary water sources, mediating service of UN agencies
Murray-Darling basin background info
- home to more than 2 million poeple
- covers 14% of Australia
- provides 75% of Australias water
background info of river nile
4100 miles long and affects 11 countries
countries river nile supplies
burundi, tanzania, rwanda
What is the river nile currently used for?
Agriculture, food, drinking water, sanitation and tourism
the 1929 Nile agreement
granted significant water allocations to Egypt and Sudan. Has lead to conflicts
Conflict created by the 1929 nile agreement
between river basin countries and uppstream countries harvesting water
1999 nile basin initiative
aimed to enhance cooperation over the use of the nile water resources
2010 CFA nile
agreement on sharing the nile water, which raised strong opposition from egypt and sudan
grand ethiopian renaissance dam
angry responses as ir can starve water supplies to egypt
description of water transfer projects
involve the diversion of water from one drainage basin to another, either by diverting rivers or constucting canals
specific example of water transfer projects
china’s south-north transfer project
benefits to water transfer projects
- supporting cities growing population
- continuation of economic benefit
costs to water transfer projects
- people have been relocated
- costs $62 billion
- 50 years
description of mega dams
concrete barrier put across a river with a resevoir behind it, 5000 are considered as mega (multi-purpose stream)
specific example of mega dams
China’s three gorges dam
benefits to mega dams
- flood control
- HEP renewable energy
- saving 150 million tonnes of CO2
costs to mega dams
- landslides
- water pollution
- pressure earthquakes
- relocation partially subsidised
description of desalination plants
removal of excess salt from the water, providing fresh water suitable for human consumption and irrigation
specific example of desalination plants
saudi arabia - 30 desalination plants
benefits to desalination plants
- works
- 70% of world is water to highly avaliable
costs to desalination plants
- $80 million to build energy intensive
- need ocean access
Russia
Lake Baikal freshwater source, pay 47p for 1.5l of water
