Water supply China Flashcards
1
Q
percentage of worlds freshwater in china
A
7%
2
Q
SE of china
A
heavy rainfall
3
Q
north of china
A
- suffers from droughts
- less rainfall
- industrialised cities are in the north
4
Q
causes increasing demand of water
A
- Rising middle class = larger water footprint
- meat consumption has increased by 150%.
- ‘Factory of the world’ –needs energy to power factories, which requires a lot of water for cooling.
5
Q
problems from increased demand in water
A
- Industrial pollution – waste water grew 50% 2000-2015.
- Cancer villages
- Costs for the government – in 2017 government spent $100billion on 8,000 clean up projects.
- possible unemployment
- lower agricultural production
- higher food costs
6
Q
solutions to clean water
A
- Water Pollution Prevention Control Action Plan
- 5 year plan – to restrict farming near major rivers to cut pollution. May find it difficult to enforce.
- in 2001 44% of waterways were unusable, by 2018 only 7% are unusable
sponge cities
7
Q
Water Pollution Prevention Control Action Plan
A
Government launched
A system of ‘river & lake chiefs’ that is local officers responsible for addressing pollution issues in their area.
8
Q
sponge cities
A
- 80% of the city area must capture and reuse rainwater
- Has been expended to 31 cities
9
Q
south to north water project
A
- Aims to transfer water from the River Yangzi in the south to the dry industrial north.
- Largest water diversion scheme in the world.
- The central route moves water from the massive reservoir in central China 1,400km to Beijing via a vast channel
- Eastern and Central route have a capacity to transfer 25 billion tonnes of water a year
- western remains in the planning phase.
10
Q
social and economic benefits of south to north water project
A
- employment opportunities
- better transportation network and facilities
- expanding irrigation schemes, electricity and aquaculture
- recreational fishing and tourism industries
- controlling floodhazards
11
Q
capacity of south to north project
A
25 billion tonnes of water a year
12
Q
length of central route
A
1400 km
13
Q
3 gorges dam advantages
A
- Regulates river flow & can be used to prevent flooding
- Generation of cheap renewable energy – 10% of the China’s electricity.
- Provides water for a wide variety of uses.
- Create jobs during construction phase.
- Makes transport easier.
- Boost tourism along the river.
14
Q
3 gorges dam disadvantages
A
- Gorge flooded – farmland lost.
- Habitats affected as river is now deeper & cooler
- Expensive $29 billion
15
Q
advantages of south to north project
A
- directly benefits more than 140 million people and over 40 cities
- helps in ecological restoration of rivers and lakes in the north
