EQ3 water insecurity ; consequences and risks

Question 1

What is the threshold below which water shortages are said to exist?

Answer 1

• levels between 1,700 and 1000 m^3 per year is considered a sufficient supply , anything below 1000 would mean that a country faces “water scarcity”

Question 2

What are the FOUR of the parameters involved in assessing the water poverty index?

Answer 2

• water resources
• access
• handling capacity
• use
• environmental indicators

Question 3

What is the WPI?

Answer 3

• index developed in 2002 as a means of monitoring progress and prioritising water needs in response to UN millennium development goals that address poverty and water access.

Question 4

Price of water ;

give an example of privatisation of water infrastructure through enforcement of IMF ?

Answer 4

late 1900’s Aguas De tuner took over C’s was infrastructure ; privatisation led to the doubling of water price - costed C’s urban poor 20% of their avg income

Question 5

Do wealthy countries also experience variation in water prices?

Answer 5

yes - Ireland began charging for water supplies in 2012 and water bills in 2016 water bills were 75% less than in the UK

Question 6

Aral Sea case study;

When and why did it start shrinking ?

Answer 6

1990’s due to large scale irrigation schemes carried out by the soviet govt , which required the diversion of rivers Amu Darya and Sir darya - occurred for decades.

• built 45 dams and 80 reservoirs along the river routes - to irrigate cotton and wheat fields in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan
• attempts to mitigate against shrinkage were made by decreasing salt volumes in soil and desalination projects - all inefficient attempts that worsened deterioration of the Aral Sea.

Question 7

Aral Sea case study;

What were the consequences of the irrigation schemes?

Answer 7

• 10 % shrinkage from its original size.
• 40% shrinkage in area
• evaporation increased salinity
• coastlines receded miles from local towns
• climate change worsens continuous withdrawals in river discharge as there is a decrease in runoff from the Pamir Mountains.

Question 8

potential for conflict :

How much of Ethiopia’s agriculture does the Nile account for?

Answer 8

80 % of agricultural exports in trade.

Question 9

Define water stress

Answer 9

when a country’s water is consumption and supply is extreme , leading to an imbalance in demand and supply, creating a economic or physical deficit in fresh water availability, creating stress on all living organisms and economic systems

country has less than 1700m^3 of water available per person per yr.