Water EQ3 Flashcards
What classifies as water stress?
below 1,700m^3 per person
What classifies as water scarcity?
below 1000m^3 per person
What is economic scarcity?
Economic scarcity occurs when there is water available but the infrastructure is not available to access the water
About 1.6 billion people face economic water scarcity
What is physical scarcity?
Physical scarcity occurs when there is greater demand for water than there is supply
An estimated four billion people face severe water scarcity for at least
How much of our ground water systems have been depleted?
An estimated 30% of groundwater systems are being depleted
Human causes of water insecurity?
over-abstraction,
water contamination,
industrial pollution,
Physical causes of water insecurity?
- variation in climate
- salt water encroachment / intrusion
What is salt water encroachment / intrusion
Salt water encroachment occurs due to sea level rise when freshwater sources are contaminated by seawater and so become saline.
This is an issue for coastal communities, particular island communites:
* Tuvalu has experienced damaged crops and loss of income.
* The Maldvies drinking water supplies are threatened as well
Define over abstraction?
Over-abstraction occurs when more water is taken than is naturally replaced by precipitation.
It can lead to lack of water as well as subsidence.
- Increased abstraction of water from the** Nile by Ethiopia** is decreasing the availability of water for Sudan and Egypt
parts of California’s Central Valley dropped over 9 meters (!!) due to overpumping
How many people live without sanitation?
Over 2.4 billion people live without sanitation
How can agriculture cause water contamination?
Agriculture discharges large quantities of agrochemicals, organic matter, drug residues and sediment into water sources.
This leads to eutrophication
What is industrial pollution?
Every year 300-400 megatonnes of waste is discharged by industry into the water system
In many countries factory waste is discharged into water sources untreated due to a lack of regulations and a failure to challenge industries.
It is estimated that 80% of China’s groundwater is polluted
Oil refineries contaiminating water?
Oil refineries along the Gulf Coast in California have been found to be releasing pollutants which are contaminating nearby water sources
Why is there increasing pressure on water resources?
Population Growth - more irrigation and agriculture
Decrease in Supply
Economic development - further increases demand
One stat about the future of water stress?
By 2050, the UN predicts that 5 billion people or two thirds of the world population will face at least one month a year of water shortages
What is an economical issue surronding blue / drinkable water?
The majority of water supplies are privately controlled. Private firms are profit driven and so charge above what it costs them to extract / bottle the water to make this profit.
This is at the expense of consumers who pay higher prices and therefore less consumers can afford clean water.
Monopoly / Shareholders
Why does agriculture use water supply?
Agriculture dominates water usage
20% of the Earth’s land is fully irrigated, the majority being pumped from aquifiers which is leading to irreversible groundwater depletion.
Define irrigation
The practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns
Why is water needed for energy / industry?
Hydroelectric power (HEP) or for cooling for thermal and nuclear power stations.
Chemical, clothing, paper, electronic, steel, and petroleum industries are also major consumers of water.
What is a secondary issue of lack of water domestically?
Water that is polluted through lack of sanitation, is a breeding ground for mosquitoes, snails and parasitic worms and their vector disease of malaria, dengue fever and bilharzia
Other diseases such as typhoid, cholera and dysentery, are transmitted through polluted water
Drought / Water stress relationship?
Environmentally, there is a risk of over-exploitation of what little supplies there are, prolonging periods of drought and possibly initiating the steps towards desertification
What are water conflicts a result of?
Increasing demand with reducing supply
Construction on rivers (NILE DELTA - ETHIOPIA BUILT GERD)
What are riparian rights?
Ownership of water bodies and the land around it.
Ties into water conflict
BEst case study for water conflict
GERD - Great Ethiopian Renaisance Dam
NILE RIVER
Upstream countries like Egypt experiencing GDP slowdown and water shortages - threat of escalating into a proper conflict.
