Water Scarcity

Question 1

What is an arid region

Answer 1

Receive less than 250mm of rain per year

High rainfall variability

Question 2

Healthcare said

Answer 2

1983
0.17% out of 0.54 fresh water resources are found in arid region
Unevenly distributed and most not immediately accessible

Question 3

UNESCO

Answer 3

2003

Ground water is the worlds most extracted resource

Question 4

Why does the replenishment rate of GW vary

Answer 4

1- land use change
2- changes in surface water
3- lowering of water table
4- LT climate cycles

Question 5

Why does quality of GW vary

Answer 5

Salinisation

Contamination from inadequate sewage infrastructure

Natural contamination

Question 6

What are the main problems in arid regions

Answer 6

Access

Poor quality

Competition

Limited potential for improving quality and quantity

BUT addressing anyone of these issues could ruin another

Question 7

Quinn Said

Answer 7

2009
Groundwater depletion India
India abstracts more groundwater than the 2nd and 3rd highest consumers combined
In NW India depletion of aquifers with western farming techniques largely to blame
Abstraction rate higher then the replenishment rate
Decline in water table

Question 8

Micklin

Answer 8

2007
Aral Sea water was diverted from Amu-darya and Sry-Darya for irrigation
Over 60% of water was lost over a period of 30 years creating poisonous levels of salinity
Over 60 million rely on this basin

Question 9

Drought

Answer 9

Natural and temporary phenomenon and is characterised as a deviation from normal conditions

NO universal definition of drought

Question 10

American Meteorological Society

Answer 10

1997
4 different types of drought 
-meteorological precipitation deficit
-hydrological sub surface supple deficit 
-agricultural lack of soil moisture 
-socio economic supply but can’t access

Question 11

What’re scarcity

Answer 11

A natural and human made phenomena when demand exceeds supply

Question 12

UN 2014

Answer 12

Enough water for 7 billion ppl but it’s distributed unevenly and mischief is polluted and wasted

1. 2 billion live in areas of physical water scarcity
2. 6 billion live in areas of economic water scarcity

Question 13

Water stress

Answer 13

The ability or lack of to meet human and ecological demands

Question 14

How many effected by water stress

Answer 14

30 countries under water stress- 20 under absolute water scarcity

Question 15

Allom

Answer 15

2001

Water stress can be alleviated in areas such as Syria and Jordan where water intensive communities can be imported

Question 16

Environmental agency 2007

Answer 16

Pets if SE England have less water per person than Sudan or Syria

Question 17

Example of water stress management in EU

Answer 17

Policy based on principle of water hierarchy
Additional water supply infrastructure should only be considered when all demand measures have been exhausted
Member status are encouraged to focus on prevention methods

Question 18

What is desertification

Answer 18

Degradation of land and vegetation
Soil erosion
Infertile lands in arid area
Causation- Human activities and climate variation

Question 19

Van Loon

Answer 19

2016
Hydrological cycle is intertwined with human influence cannot spears the 2
Drought can be caused by human or physical influences
Human impacts on earth are increasing- new epoch
Human activities shape water availability no longer view drought at an external hazard

Question 20

Houses of Parliament said

Answer 20

2012
Responses mainly in hands of private water companies and users

The choose to increase demand is having a negative effect on ecosystem in freshwater bodies

Drought in UK occur approx every 7 years

Areas with highest pop receive lowest rainfall

Question 21

Sheffield et al

Answer 21

2012
Drought expected to increase frequency and severity due to climate change
Calculations using Palmer drought severity index suggest global moisture levels are decreasing since 1970
Critiques this method arguing little changes in drought for 60 years

Question 22

Marris

Answer 22

2016
Klamath river USA
Travels from south Oregon to CAlifornia
Multiple management
Farmers use water for irrigation will indigenous and environmentalists want to stop this
Tension heightens every summer when water drys for 3 months
Management done every month

Question 23

Rodell et al

Answer 23

2009
GW is a primary source of freshwater in many parts of the world
But some regions are overly reliant upon it

NW India
114,000,000 rely on water basins however, excess irrigation is creating unsustainable depletion of basin