Water shortages Flashcards
water surplus
A situation in which the usable water supply exceeds the demand.
water deficit
A situation in which the usable water supply does not satisfy the demand.
Physical water scarcity
The natural reasons for low water supply i.e. low rainfall. Deserts, such as those in the middle East are obvious examples of physical water scarcity.
Economic water scarcity
The human reasons for low water supply i.e. lack of plumbing infrastructure.
What causes water shortages
Overuse, increasing demand, pollution, poor management, lack of infrastructure, and changes in weather patterns due to global warming are key stressors that affect the availability of fresh water.
How is water usage being managed in LICs?
Equipment that the local community is able to use relatively easily and without much cost. Also known as intermediate technology.
In LEDCs using appropriate technology is usually the best way to manage supply.
Wells, dug by hand, are a common way of accessing water - but the supply can be unreliable and sometimes the well itself can be a source of disease.
Gravity-fed schemes are used where there is a spring on a hillside. The water can be piped from the spring down to the villages.
Boreholes can require more equipment to dig, but can be dug quickly and usually safely. They require a hand or diesel pump to bring the water to the surface.
In addition to locating new sources of water, some strategies help to reduce the need for water. These include:
harvesting (collecting) rainwater landing on
buildings
recycling waste water to use on crops
improving irrigation techniques
growing crops less dependent on a high water supply
minimising evaporation of water
Case study of appropriate technology: Play Pumps
In rural Africa, clean water is a luxury. Most people don’t have plumbing in their homes. Instead, they often must walk long distances to wells and haul heavy containers of water back.
PlayPumps international is a South African NGO (Charity) who provide PlayPumps for communities in need.
A PlayPump is a water pump that pumps water from underground aquifers. To construct a PlayPump a borehole needs to be drilled down to an underground aquifer.
As the merry-go-round spins, it pumps clean water up from deep underground and stores it in a huge tank. People are welcome to come and help themselves to the water.
So far, more than 800 PlayPumps are operating in schools and communities in four African countries, providing water for almost two million people
The PlayPump can pump up to 370 gallons (1,400 liters) of clean water an hour.
This is a good example of an appropriate technology as it is affordable (money from advertising boards situated next to the pump pay for maintenance, use of kinetic energy rather than electricity or diesel means that there will always be power available to extract water).
7 mark questions you could get
Describe how people can be provided with a reliable supply of safe drinking water. You should refer to an area or country which you have studied. [7]
Many areas have a shortage of water supplies. Describe the likely impacts of a water shortage on the people and development of a named area which you have studied. [7]
