The environmental and economic problems resulting from inadequate water Flashcards
Give some economic and environmental benefits of wetlands?
- Wetland provide direct economic benefits such as fisheries and recreation
- They reduce the incidence of floods and store water
Degraded ecosystems may have difficulty restoring themselves and may lose resilience. What is the impact of this?
This accelerates water-quality degradation and reduces water availability for nature and people.
Why is the Salton Sea in California a key ecosystem?
- It is used by millions of birds as a stopping point when migrating along the Pacific Flyway.
Why have water levels in the Salton Sea decreased since 2005?
- The rate of evaporation exceeds inflow
- Water is in great demand in southern and central California, so water that should reach the Salton Sea is diverted to agriculture, and some inflow consists of contaminated run-off from the fields
Give an example of how the Salton Sea was impacted by regional water agreements?
- From 2017 to 2018, there could be an 18% decline in inflow
- Water was no longer diverted to it from the Imperial Irrigation District, causing the sea to shrink by up to 260 kilometres squared
What is the economic benefit of investing in water, sanitation and hygiene?
- The WHO estimates that for every $1 invested in water and sanitation, there is an economic return of $4 by keeping people healthy and productive
According to the UN’s human development report, what is the economic impact in developing nations of a lack of safe water, sanitation and hygiene?
According to the UN’s humanitarian development report, lack of safe water, sanitation and hygiene causes Sub-Saharan African countries annual losses equivalent to 5% of GDP.
In Bangladesh, what is the economic impact of a lack of sanitation?
In Bangladesh, $4.2 billion is lost annually due to inadequate sanitation, which is equivalent to 6.3% of the country’s GDP.
