Watery World Flashcards
What is water use like in HICs?
14% is domestic, 39% is agriculture, 47% is industry
What is water use like in LICs?
4% domestic, 5% is industry, 91% is agricuture
What is a river?
A large natural stream of water flowing in a channel to the sea, a lake or another stream
What is groundwater?
Water that has seeped under the surface and is stored in the soil and rocks below
What is a reservoir?
An artificial lake created as part of a water supply system
What is the case study for rivers and some facts and figures?
USA, Mojave desert near Las Vegas
- 35 million visitors a year
- Groundwater levels have declined by 90m since 1922
- Hoover Dam was built
What is the case study for groundwater and some facts and figures?
Mexico, Mexico city
- Groundwater supplies 15.6 million people in Mexico city alone
- Groundwater supplies have dropped by 100m
- Rapid urbanisation has increased the demand
What is the case study for reservoirs and some facts and figures?
UK, Bristol
- 5th largest reservoir in Britain is Chew Valley Lake near Bristol
- Bristol recently built 10,500 houses
What is ‘water deficit’?
A situation in which usable water supply does not meet the demand
What are the social impacts of water deficit?
o People and countries have less food to go round
o Forest fires which can destroy homes
o Increased starvation from no crops of animal meat
What are the economic impacts of water deficit?
o Loss of income from dead animals
o Infertile land so no money can be made
o Businesses fail from no crops to sell
What are the environmental impacts of water deficit?
o Forest fires
o Animals die from starvation
o More space is needed to keep up with demand for crops
o Infertile land
Name the four water supply problems in HICs and two case studies
Seasonal imbalance
Water quality
Spatial variability
Loss through broken pipes
UK and Spain
Define water quality
The standard of water cleanliness
Define spatial variability
Difference in supply and demand across the country due to rainfall and population density
Define loss through broken pipes
Loss of water through old infrastructure breaking
Define seasonal imbalance
Supply and demand for water varies each season
Name the three water supply problems in LICs
Lack of clean piped water
Water pollution
Water borne diseases
Case study facts and figures for lack of clean piped water
- 1 billion people in LICs lack access to clean piped water
- In Eritrea, only 7% of the population has access to clean piped water, in Cambodia its 13%, African Republic its 19%
Facts and figures for mining in LICs
Extracting copper ores produces 99 tonnes of waste and only 1 tonne of the ore
Facts and figures for water borne diseases in LICs
In Zimbabwe, 3000 people in 2008 died from cholera
2 billion people are thought to have Bilharzia with 300 million people seriously ill
Name the two domestic water management schemes for HICs and their case study location
Managing industrial water usage- USA
Managing domestic water use- UK
Name the two domestic water management schemes for LICs and their case study location
Boreholes- Mozambique
Water conservation- Uganda
What are case study facts and figures for domestic water management schemes?
USA- 11,000 litres of water is used to make 1 tonne of steel but now it only needs 2,300 litres
UK- Dual flush means only 6 litres of water is used each flush rather than 13 litres
Mozambique- Each borehole only costs $5000
Uganda- WaterAid helped provide them
What is the case study for managing water supplies?
Water reclamation and management scheme, Sydney, Australia
what are the 8 impacts of the water reclamation scheme?
- Water is 15 cent cheaper per litre
- Develops public confidence in recycled water
- Saves 850 million litres of drinking water
- Treats and reuses 100% sewage water
- Grit and sludge waste generated
- High corrosion rates of copper pipes
- High phosphate levels- ALGAE
- Higher water pH- LIMESCALE
What is the case study for water conflict?
The Colorado River
What does the government do about the water conflict?
They tried to manage the river so everyone got a fair share, water is taken from upper basin, Arizona doesn’t have enough water for the growing cities
What do farmers do about the water conflict?
Cali farmers rely on the water for irrigation, they want as much as they need, they put back the water but its saline and 20% of farmland in Mexico is not being cultivated
What do environmental groups do about the water conflict?
The flows should be protected for the ecosystem, they are not happy as the reduced flow has destroyed habitats- like the Totoaba fish and Egret bird
What do Mexico do about the water conflict?
They believe they aren’t receiving enough water, extract groundwater on US border, All American Canal is lined so less water leaks into Mexico’s aquifer so there is less groundwater
