Water Lesson 12: Impacts of Water Security Flashcards
3 factors considered in water scarcity?
Availability
Access
Utilistation
Describe availability in water scarcity
physical scarcity of clean freshwater resources to meet demand
Describe access in water scarcity
scarcity due to the failure of institutions to ensure a reliable water supply through water management
Describe utilisation in water scarcity
scarcity arising from inadequate infrastructure to use water resources due to financial constraints
Define physical scarcity
-Largely determined by climate
-Generally affects high-pressure areas between 23.5 - 35° N and S
-Continentality and topography can affect it too
Define economic scarcity
Associated with developing countries that lack capital and technology and good governance to fully exploit their often adequate supplies of blue water e.g. Sub-Saharan Africa and Haiti
How does physical cost affect water prices
Some cities have to pipe water for many kilometres
How long is pipeline to supply LA with water from Colorado?
242 miles
How does demand affect water prices
If water is scarce, the price increases to manage demand
Where do people not have direct access to water to there homes, but from a tank?
New York and Detroit
How does insufficient infrastructure affect water prices?
People living in squatter settlements rely on water tankers and bottled water. The costs of water from informal vendors is always nearly twice that of standard taps. If people are to have taps, safe drinking supplies and flushing toilets, there has to be an ‘industry’ to build and manage it and the water it delivers has to be paid for
Example of location with insufficient water supply due to slums?
Dharavi in Mumbai
How does where the supply come from affect water prices?
-Water can be free in developing countries but it is not usually treated so therefore not clean
-If water is supplied through private companies that charge market price, the poor lose out
How far can women and children in Ghana walk to get water?
10km
Which country’s government subsidises the price of water to ensure supplies are available for all?
Cuba
