human activity causing groundwater supplies to diminish
Cheap technology used to pump water
Few or minimal legislation to regulate pumping
Threats of climate change-induced droughts
water stress
When the demand for water exceeds the available amount during a certain period. It refers to people who have access to less than 1700 m3 per person.
water scarcity
When renewable water resources are low. It refers to people with access to water below 1000 m3 per person.
physical water scarcity
Where water availability does not meet water demand in a particular area. Arid regions often face this, such as southern Spain.
economic water scarcity
Occurs due to lack of investment in infrastructure so people cannot get access to water, or the price of it is at a point where the population cannot afford the amount they need
water insecurity
When a country has inadequate quantities of acceptable water quality for livelihoods, wellbeing, and development.
what is an atoll
A ring shaped coral reef that encircles a lagoon
desalination
The process that removes salts from saline water in order to make it potable
resilience
The ability to reduce the loss experienced from a natural hazard or natural phenomena, or to return to an original state more quickly by having measures in place that allow individuals and communities to adapt to their changing circumstances.
what factors are used to measure water poverty in the WPI (water poverty index)
level of access to water
water quantity, quality and variability
water used for domestic, food and productive purposes
capacity for water management (how well a country manages the water it has)
environmental aspects such as damage and pollution
why does the cost of water vary
Cost of freshwater depends on transport cost, availability, contamination levels, management and level of demand.
What actions and policies can be adopted to reduce water use:
Domestic Conservation Re-using wastewater Save storm Water Reducing Irrigation/ Smarter Irrigation Smart Planning
Players involved in water management
The UN
The EU
National Government Agencies
Berlin Rules (replaced Helsinki Rules) -Integrated Water Management
Water Supply Issues in Emerging Countries
sewage disposal
chemical fertilisers
industrial pollution
dams
sewage disposal
By 2020 sewage disposal in developing countries is expected to cause 135 million deaths
Diseases such as typhoid and cholera are common
Example = in the UK they add 1,400 million litres of sewage to their rivers daily
Example = Citarum River, West Java. Carries the waste from 9 million people
chemical fertilisers
This can contaminate groundwater as well as river supplies
Sewage and fertilisers add nutrients to the river, increase the growth of algae and cause eutrophication
Example = Yucatan, Mexico high levels of nitrates in groundwater
Example = Gulf of Mexico, high levels of algae
industrial pollution
400 billion tonnes of industrial waste is generated each year in the world
Chemicals and heavy metals are put into the water
Examples in NE China
Example = Citarum River in West Java, Indonesia, carriers the waste from hundreds of farms and factories.
dams
These trap sediment
These reduce the floodplain fertility
These reduce the flow of nutrients from the river to the sea
These damage coastal fish stocks
The sediment change can kill fish and impact on the ecosystem
Example = Aswan Dam on the River Nile
Example = 3 Gorges Dam, China