Water EQ3 (5.3) Flashcards
what are some factors that reduce the amount of available water for humans to drink ?
- evepotranspiration
- discharge in to the sea
- saltwater encroachment
- contamination of water by toxic pesticides
- over abstraction
what is water insecurity ?
this is when people have an inadequate supply of water less than 1700m3 per person
what is the difference between water stress and water scarcity ?
water stress is when the demand for water exceeds the available amount during a period and people have around 1700m3 per person but water scarcity is is when resources are low and people have bellow 1000m3 per person
what is water scarcity like around the world ?
- North and South America have a lot of water stability
- places like the Middle East, India, central Europe and North Africa have high water security
- Middle east and Northern Africa worst off
what are the three main factors driving water demand ?
- population growth
- economic development
- rising living standards
what are the two different types of water scarcity ?
physical scarcity: where water availability does not meet water demand
economic scarcity: where access to water is limited by poor infrastructure, technology and governance
what are some examples of water scarcity throughout the world ?
- Ogallala aquifer provides 1/3 of all US irrigation but is seriously depleted
- sub Saharan Africa suffers economic scarcity from poverty and lack of infrastructural development
- Egypt imports 50% of food due to water scarcity
- Ganges faces physical stress doe to pollution and over abstraction
what are the human causes of the Karachi water crisis ?
- criminal gangs take water and sell it on the black market for profit
- lack of investment and organisation from water board
- there are illegal water pipes with links to corrupt water board officers
- population of 20 million in the city
what are the physical causes of the Karachi water crisis ?
- rains have stopped coming due to climate change
- salt water encroachment is occurring-underground seawater getting in to aquifers and turning freshwater salty
what are the social impacts of the Karachi water crisis ?
- people must queue for hours to get water
- those that rely on criminal pipes struggle once they are cut away
- sewage water is being drunk
- water is only turned on once every two weeks and people must get up at midnight to collect it once it is switched on
what are the economic impacts of the Karachi water crisis ?
- some have to spend half of their income on water
- less crops and money from agriculture due to lack of irrigation
- water is very expensive due to black market traders
what are the environmental impacts of the Karachi water crisis ?
- vegetation is dying
- rivers have completely dries out
- wells have become salty due to salt water encroachment
- desertification occurring
what are the reasons water is used for ?
- agriculture accounts for the majority of water use and lads to a lot of groundwater depletion
- industry and energy use up around 20%
- domestic use accounts for the least amount withdrawn however this is on the rise due to rising living standards
what are some different hard engineering water supply schemes ?
- water transfers which is diverting water from one drainage basin to another
- mega dams
- desalination which is expensive but is useful for countries with a lack of freshwater
What was the main reason for the water crisis in the Maldives ?
They relied very heavily on a desalination plant for most of their water however when it was damaged in a storm they didn’t have any people with the skills to fix the desalination plant.
what is the WPI ?
the water poverty index and it allows us to understand the extent of water availability. It looks at 5 perspectives and adds scores together to get an overall score.
Why are water prices so high in Denmark ?
It deters unnecessary consumption and increases awareness about saving water. This has been successful as Denmark has seen a drop in water usage from a per capita usage of 170 litres a day in 1989 to 114 litres per day in 2012
why are California’s water supplies threatened ?
- serves 50 million people
- average rainfall has dropped by 10% since 1922 and temperatures have increased
- the Colorado river which they rely on fro water supplies 8 states and includes 11 major dams and reservoirs
what are the conflicts between sharing water resources for the Colorado river basin ?
- the agreement for sharing water was made in 1922 and is outdated
- conflict between USA and Mexico. A more recent agreement gives Mexico a fairer share
- native Americans don’t get a fair share
- farmers plant thirsty crops like Almonds and this uses up a lot of water- lead to conflict between farmers and other civilians
what are the different players involved in water management?
- the UN try to encourage and facilitate the cooperation of countries in trans-boundary water sources
- the EU set policy and targets for water quality and require basin wide assessments
- national govts. make sue country is complying with policy
what are some of the Berlin rules on water resources ?
- the public have a right to be involved in decision making
- sustainability must be considered
- there must be cooperation over shared resources between regions and countries
- all groups must receive a fair share
What are some examples of international water conflicts ?
- Turkey plan the GAP project which includes developing dams over the Tigris-Euphretes river which would block water to Syria and Iraq
- Israelis, Syrians and Jordanians all in dispute over shrinking water supplies
- there are disputes between countries on the river Nile especially Ethiopia and Sudan who have deprived the flows to Egypt and this has led to conflict
what are some sustainable water management techniques ?
- smart irrigation uses automated sprinkler and drip systems which only water crops according to soil moisture and dryness
- rainwater collection
- recycling waste water
- restoration of damaged rivers, lakes and wetlands
what are the pros and cons of the south-north water project ?
pros:
- transfers water to areas with a surplus
- boost economic development especially inn cities like Beijing
- reduce abstraction of groundwater
cons:
- it is already delayed and won’t be complete until 2050
- it will submerge 370km2 of land
- it could drain too much water from south China
what are the positives and negatives of Israel’s desalination plant ?
pros:
- a lot of power is from solar panels
- produces 600 tonnes of portable water per hour
cons: - each station uses a lot of power and this produces CO2
- produces brine which harms the ecosystems
what strategies has Singapore taken up in their holistic water management scheme ?
- they use a lot of water collection and 20% of their water comes from rainwater collected in reservoirs and catchments
- 30% of the city’s water supply comes from recycled water
- 10% comes from desalination plants
- their aim is to become completely self sufficient and use only their own recycled water, rainwater and desalinated water
what is eutriphication ?
when fertilisers are washed in to rivers and increase the growth of algae in the river which stops sunlight getting to the river and destroys the system
what are some water supply issues in developing countries ?
- sewage disposal which can lead to diseases such as cholera and typhoid
- chemical fertilisers which contaminate groundwater and can lead to eutriphication
- industrial pollution- 400 tonnes generated each year
- dams can stop sediment which reduces floodplain fertility and can kill fish
what is IWRM ?
integrated water resources management and it attempts to create a close cooperation between basin users and players. This works well on a small scale but not so much on a larger one
