Water - EQ3 - 5.8 Flashcards
define water poverty
- a situation where a nation or region cannot always afford the cost of sustaianble clean water to people at all times
define physical water scarcity
- the lack of available clean freshwater resources (surface & groundwater) as in semi-arid climates
Physical water scarcity also occurs when…
- more than 75% of a country or region’s bluewater flows are being withdrawn for human uses
…..% of the global population cuurently experiences physical water scarcity
25%
Whichc ountries & regions experience physical water scarcity
- Middle East, North Africa,
- North China, West USA, South East Australia
define economic water scarcity
- when the use of blu ewater resources is imited by the lack of capital, technological & good governance
It is estimated that …. billion people are restricted from accessing blue water from …….
- 1 billion
- high levels of poverty
why might economic water scarcity occur
- it might cost too much for people to afford
- cleaning dirty water may be too epnsive
- this typically occurs in LICs who lack reliable salination infrastructure
- e.g Continental & SE Asia
Give some possible causes of water scarcity
- lack of annual or seasonal precipitation
- lack of investment & managemnt of water infrastructure to meet demand
- scarcity may also be a social construct duet to wealth, expectation or unusual behaviour
Why is water supplies not equitablly distributed
- although access to safe, potable water is a human right, it is treated as a commodity to be paid for
- the majority of water supplies are controlled & costs vary greatly, within & between countries
What is the expectation of water in high developed countries
- people expect to pay for their water supply, its removal & subsequent treatment
Issues of water pricing in LDEs
What can happen despite water being free
- it may not be fully clean
- & people often have to spend many hours walking up to 10km to get water supplies,
- disadvantaging women & girls daily
Issues of water pricing in LDEs
If people do have access to safe water it is often…
the case that the cost is beyond most people
Issues of water pricing in LDEs
What happens when people cannot afford the price of water
- charities such as WaterAid
- provided inavulable help via programmes
Issues of water pricing in LDEs
The majority of people rely on ….
vendors
Give a real exmple of how the cost of water disadavnatges poeple in developed vs developing natiosn
- Whilst the cost of water in the UK may only a take a small proportion of people’s salaries, it represents 20-25% of their daily income for the very poor, it is unaffordable
Supply vs Demand
If a resource is scarce it becomes………, depending on whether water … meets ….. demand
- expensive
- supply
- demand
Supply vs Demand
what does the price of water depend on
- human & physical factors, on various timescales
Supply vs Demand
what is the frustration of physical factors
- Some physical supplyside features cannot be controlled e.g rainfall
Supply vs Demand
what human interference can unknowingly reduce supply
- poor management of water supplies tend to reduce supply
- e.g by polluting or depleting (cloud seeding)
Supply vs Demand
how can demand be reduced
- by encouraging conservation & charging a realistic price for water
Supply vs Demand
what leads to a rise in cost of water
- any rise ind emand will also rise costs as water comapnies invest in production, treatment & infrastructure
- many private companie shave stakeholders to answer to, with profits being a requirment for future investment
In some countries there is only one water company, which leads to…
- a monopoly on supplying water & therefore they can charge what they want
Explain how NGOs intereferred in nationalised water
- During the 1980s, the wolrd bank & IMF gave loans that required many developing countries to privatise their water systems in the hope that competition would reduce cost
what do monopolies do to water supplies
- consumers end up having to pay signficantly higher charges for water supplies
Negative example of water privatisation
What happended in 1999 in Boliivia
- Agua del Tumari took over the Blovian city of Cochamba’s water system
Negative example of water privatisation
What did the Agua del Tumari do when they took over the Blovian city of Cochamba’s water system
- company immediately raised price of water supplies to 20% of the average income
Negative example of water privatisation
How did people react in Bolivia to the raised price of water supplies to 20% of the average income
poor people protested for 4 days & teh Bolivian govt overturned this
Positive example of water privatisation
Why did the government in Denmark decide to raise water prices?
In an attempt to reduce unnecessary water consumption.
Positive example of water privatisation
How much did the price of water rise in Denmark between 1989 and 2012?
The price rose from €2 to €7 per metre cubed.
Positive example of water privatisation
What were the needs behind the increased water price in Denmark?
- Supply of water: 22% of cost
- Sewage and wastewater treatment: 47% of cost
- Taxes: 31% of cost
Positive example of water privatisation
What was the impact of the increased water price on water consumption in Denmark from 1989 to 2012?
- significant drop in water consumption
- 1989 - avg of 170 litres per day
- 2012 - avg of 114 litres per day in
What is the Water Poverty Index (WPI)?
The WPI was developed by a team of researchers to monitor progress towards the millennium development targets
It is a holistic water management tool mainly relevant at the community level
but can be applied at any spatial scale up to the basin or national levels
What is the main purpose of the Water Poverty Index (WPI)?
- The WPI is mainly designed to help improve the situation for the one to two billion people facing poor natural water resources and poor adaptive capacity.
What does the Water Resources measure show in the Water Poverty Index (WPI)?
the physical availability of surface and ground water and its quality.
What does the Access to Water measure show in the Water Poverty Index (WPI)?
the distance from safe water for drinking, cooking, irrigation, and industrial uses.
What does the Capacity measure show in the Water Poverty Index (WPI)?
the effectiveness of people’s ability to manage water, ensure its affordability, and maintain good infrastructure.
What does the Use of Water measure show in the Water Poverty Index (WPI)?
the ways in which water is used for different purposes, including domestic, agricultural, and industrial use.
What does the Environment measure show in the Water Poverty Index (WPI)?
water management strategies to ensure ecological sustainability.
What are the 5 measures used by the Water Poverty Index (WPI) to indicate levels of wtaer security
- Water Resources
- Access to Water
- Capacity
- Use of Water
- Environment
At what levels can the Water Poverty Index (WPI) be applied?
- The WPI can be applied at any spatial scale, from community level to basin or national levels.
define ecological
- relating to or concerned with the relation of living organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.
Why is the WPI useful
- Easy to calculate
- Cost effective to implement
- Based mostly on existing data
- A transparent process
- Easy to understand
What is the limitation of the WPI
- It has not been updated since 2005, which limits its ability to reflect current water security challenges and incorporate recent data and developments
Define peak water
- Some ‘extreme risk’ nations in dryland areas have, in a sense, already reached ‘peak water’.
- It is a concept that originates from Peak Oil 1950’s.
- They use well over 100% of their total annual renewable water supply
Peak water is a key concept which…
- underlines the growing constraints on the availability, quality, and use offreshwaterresources
What did Lester Brown say
- Lester R. Brown, president of theEarth Policy Institute, wrote in 2013 that although there was extensive literature onpeak oil, it was peak water that is “the real threat to our future”
Why is what Lester Brown said signficant
- although there is a vast amount of water on the planet,sustainablymanaged water is becoming scarce
Explain why water is important for human wellbeing
- health - clean drinking wtaer avoids disease & increases life expectancy
- cleanliness - improves social dignity
- food - avoids malnutrition stabilising the food chain
- ecosystems - maintain environmental health so services & resources are available
- human rights - disadvanatged groups require safe drinking water & sanitation
What do the Helsinki/Berlin Rules regulate?
They are international guidelines regulating how rivers and their connected ground waters that cross national boundaries may be used.
When and where were the Helsinki Rules adopted?
Adopted by the International Law Association (ILA) in Helsinki, Finland in August 1966.
Was there an enforcement mechanism for the Helsinki Rules?
No, there is no mechanism in place by which the rules can be enforced, but it was pioneering.
What did the Helsinki Rules lead to?
The creation of the United Nations’ Convention on the Law of Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses.
What happened to the Helsinki Rules in 2004?
- In 2004, they were superseded by the Berlin Rules on Water Resources.
What does the United Nations’ Convention on the Law of Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses. do
In 2014, produced rules for equitable and reasonable use of water without harming neighbouring countries
What is the difficulty of adhering to the Helsinki accords
- These rules are difficult to implement, especially in transboundary situations; since the 1960s,
- 150 treaties have been signed but there have been
- 37 violent disputes.
Give examples of the 9 prinnciples of the Berlin rules
- river basins managed in an integrated way
- long-term planning of needs
- minimising environmental damage
- cooperation of countries or regions
- everyone receiving their fair share
What is the Berlin Water Framework Directive & Hydropower
- a European initiative consisting of 9 water management principles, enshrined in international law
As the demand fir water overtakes supplies, there is potential for ….
conflict or waterwars
What does conflict for water arise from
competing demands of irrigation, energy, industrial, domestic & recreational uses
The bulk of internal conflcits are usually ……-related
agricultural
give a case study example of agriculture related water conflicts
- Sahel, Africa - clashes of herdsmen & farmers over scarce supplies of water needed for both animals & crops
How do many riverbanks decided ownership
- ripararian rights
What can elevate ‘normal’ water competition
- when countries ‘share’ the same river or drainage basi, as in rhe case of transboundary river sources, the ‘normal competition’ for water can be escaleted to international or open conflict
Describe how less water conflict is occurring
- although there have been rising tensions globally,
- many areas demonstrate effective management to diffuse the situation
- & create more equitable and sustainable demand-supply balance, such as the Mekong