Water EQ3 Flashcards
How does the costs of obtaining a supply affect the price of water
Where water is plentiful, costs are lower as it’s easier to obtain
E.g. coastal cities in California - San Francisco ($1.8 per m3) compared with UK - Portsmouth ($0.5 per m3)
How does demand affect the price of water
Where water is scarce e.g. 2015 Californian drought, the price increased to manage demand
Where demand is high from wealthy consumers, prices of water can be increased
How does lack of infrastructure affect price of water
Piped water needs complex infrastructure of collection, treatment and supply
Areas which invest heavily in sustainable infrastructure have higher water costs e.g. Seattle ($1.84 per m3) compared to areas that have government funded infrastructure e.g. Colorado ($0.39 per m3)
How do government policies affect price of water
If water is scarce the price increases to manage demand or discouraging water waste by increasing prices e.g. Denmark ($9.7 per m3)
States sometimes subsidise water e.g. for agricultural use
How does privatisation affect price of water
Countries that use TNCs from HICs to privatise public water supplies drives up cost of water e.g. Bolivia
Countries with government subsidised water systems have cheaper water e.g. Mumbai ($0.1 per m3)
How does lack of piped water supply affect price of water
Common in LICs where streets vendors put price up to take profit from sale of water
Higher Costa’s in places with no infrastructure e.g. Nairobi ($4 per m3)
Water cheaper where no taxes paid e.g. Lagos ($2.5 per m3)
What is technofix
A technological solution to a problem
What is desalination
The removal of salt from sea water to make it suitable for domestic or industrial use
What is water recycling
Process of converting waste water into water that can be reused
What is rain water harvesting
Collection of water (often rainwater from roofs) and storing it
