Water Managment Flashcards
Describe dams and reservoirs
Naturally occurring valleys are damned = so the river floods the valley and water is trapped till it’s needed
Advantages of dams and reservoirs
- dams control the river flow and can reduce risk of flooding downstream
- electricity can be generated using the the dam through hydroelectric power
Disadvantages of dams and reservoirs
- some villages and towns must be flooded to create the reservoir meaning locals lose their homes
- reservoirs can lose water from its surface through evaporation
= makes them unsuitable for hot climates
Describe a water transfer scheme
Water can be transported from areas of large supply to areas of large demand
Adv of water schemes
- supplies large urban cities where there isn’t room to build large reservoirs
- for countries with rue plus water supply water trade can be very profitable
Disadvantage of water schemes
- very expensive to construct
- risk of leakages
= would waste water and lose money as pipelines can be hundreds of km long
= hard to find where leak is
Impacts of water insecurity
- water borne diseases
= such as cholera and typhoid
= occur when pollution contaminated water source used for drinking - impact food and agriculture
= as crops need to be irrigated and cattle hydrated
Define water security
To have a clean, reliable source of water that meets demand throughout the year
Define water surplus
Water supply exceeds the demand
Define Water deficit
Wats supply is less than demand
Define water stress
There could be a large enough volume of water to meet demand, but not enough clean good quality water available or water is inaccessible
Causes of water insecurity
- if water source contaminated or polluted
- locals can’t clean the water before drinking it
Strategies to increase water supply
- dams and reservoirs
- water transfer schemes
- desalination
Describe Water conservation
- easy and cheap strategy to reduce demand for clean water
- reduce waste water
- encourage less water usage
- use grey water
Sustainable water management strategies
- groundwater management
- recycling
Describe groundwater management
Using laws to manage the number of water pumps to reduce risk of over extraction from aquifers
Advantages of groundwater management
- reduce risk of water being consumed and not replaced naturally
- reduces risk of contamination
= the lower the water levels in aquifers, the higher the risk of salt or pollution contamination
Disadvantages of groundwater management
- some people ignore laws and continue to extract water illegally
- if too few pumps, water could be sold at an unfair price
= increase water inequality
Factors that affect water stress
- population density
= measure of how many people live per area of land
= if region has low population density demand for water park area is low - amount of rain that falls isn’t the same everywhere
= instead Precipitation levels are high in Scotland and along West of England and low in South east
How does the UK government reduce water stress
- increase amount of clean water again or in areas of low rainfall
- reducing waste and improving water efficiency of households
- monitor and protect clean water supplies from pollution
Uses of Grey water
- To irrigate crops
- water plants in gardens instead of using a hose pipe
