Water Flashcards
(24 cards)
How do LICs use water?
Industrially- often small scale, use very little water, workers do not have toilets
Domestically- water reused eg used for hygiene purposes and then used to clean pots
Agriculture- crops irritated via hand using watering cans or buckets
Water source- reservoirs
An artificial lake held behind a dam to store water for irrigation, drinking and recreation
Rocks under reservoir must be impermeable so the water will not percolate
Direct supply reservoirs store water and supply it to water treatment works
River regulating reservoirs store water during rainy periods so it can be released into the river during dry periods
Eg Kieldor holds 200 bill L of water, supplies Sunderland, Newcastle, Durham
Water source-rivers
Water is extracted from river and supplied to water treatment works
Eg River Tyne water is taken and used to irrigate farmland and provides drinking water for Newcastle population, regulated from Kieldor in times of dry periods
Water supply- groundwater
Water percolates into ground and settles in large areas of porous rocks, tiny holes known as aquifers, under immense pressure, rises (artesian wells)
Eg. London sits on a bed of porous chalk, holds a large amount of water, can be extracted using boreholes and supplied for use of the London population
How do HICs use waster?
Industrial- millions of L of water used to make petrol and fizzy drinks
- water used as a coolant so engines do not overheat
Agricultural- crops irrigated using automatic spray systems
Domestic- people regularly have baths and showers
- lots of water used to wash cars, water gardens and fill swimming pools
Factors affecting water supply
Climate (rainfall) Climate (temperature) Demand for water (population density) Number of rivers in an area Wealth Evapotranspiration
Water supply problems in HICs-quality
Condition of water
Eg Italy
Fertilisers run into rivers and agricultural waste is dumped, high levels of calcium leads to an increase risk of kidney stones
Water supply problems in HICs- leakage
Loss of water from old/ broken pipes
Eg in London, over half the pipes are over 100 years old, means that 30% is lost through breaks or cracks
Water supply problems in HICs- seasonal variability
Water falls in winter when it is mostly required in summer
Eg in Malaga, the receive 70mm of water from May to Oct compared to the 385 mm they receive the rest of the year mostly require in summer for pools, drinks and golf courses
Water supply problems in HICs- spatial variability
Water often falls in areas where there is a sparse population
Eg in Barcelona, lots of rain falls in Aragon whereas little water falls in Barcelona, where demand is the highest due to the tourism it attracts. Aragon has a water surplus whereas Barcelona has a water deficit
Water supply problems in LICs- water borne diseases
Cholera - caused by drinking contaminated water, causes diarrhoea and high temperature, can cause death
River blindness- caused by a tiny worm which is carried by the black fly that lives in running water areas, leads to scaly and itchy skin
Water supply problems in LICs- water pollution
Oil mining in Amazon rainforest has led to pollution, drinking water contains metals eg lead and mercury, 8 types of cancer found including leukaemia, high rate of miscarriage, stomach cancer 5x more likely
Sanitation
Safe disposal of toilet waste
Potable water
Water required for drinking washing and cooking
HIC water management- domestic
When cleaning teeth, turn off taps, can save upto 18 litres of water per brush
In the bathroom, order a free save a flush bag, which can help to save 1L of water per flush
HIC water management- agriculture
Drip irrigation- plants are watered due to pipes that have been laid underground to void water loss via evaporation
Compacted soils loosened, prevents surface runoff, water can percolate into the soil effectively
HIC water management- industrial
Walkers Crisps- reduced water consumption by 50%
- installed 30 water metres to show where the most water is being consume, f they know this they can then put measure in place in order to reduce their consumption in this particular area
- recycle water in the starch recovery programme, used elsewhere
Cadburys - installed an onsite wastewater treatment plant, water cleaning and treated which has already been through the production process
Appropriate technology
Small scale
Local community can use it easily and without much cost
Boreholes
Wells dug 100m into aquifers so groundwater can be pumped to the surface
Appropriate- easy to operate, worked by hand or are operated by merry-go-rounds so no energy is needed
- cheap to install, cost $5-6000 to drill a well but 1km of pipe costs just £88 in Malawi
Gravity flow water systems
Used in hilly areas, spring tapped, water travels into tap stands for use
Appropriate - gravity means no pumps are required
- cheap to install, tapstands just £100 in Ethiopia, pipes just £18 to lay
Rainwater harvesting jar
Water collects onto clean guttering and is channelled along the jar to prevent contamination , can supply homes with up to 1,500L of water
Appropriate- cheap o install, jars cost just £60 in Mali
Water conflict - GAP project
Tigris and Euphrates rivers being dammed in Turkey so that water cannot reach Syria or Iraq
21 dams and 17 hydroelectric plants
Conflict caused - will reduce water flow by 50% in Syria and 90% in Iraq , both heavily rely upon water source for agriculture
- town of Hasankyef flooded, displaced 3,800 people
- will flood historical Kurdish sites eg the first bridge built to connect Turkey to the East, upsets locals
Water management scheme- Ilisu Dam, Turkey (social impacts)
+ Reservoir stores 10.4 billion litres of water for use in Turkey
+ Resettlement plans
+ Dam will provide clean drinking water
- Area could become a breeding ground for mosquitos, leading to malaria outbreaks
- Conflict
- 52 villages and 15 small towns will be flooded, including the city of Hasankyef
Water management scheme- Ilisu Dam, Turkey (environmental impacts)
+ Dam will generate HEP, supplying 22% of country’s electricity
- Dam will survive 50-70 years, however scenery will be permanently destroyed
- Both Syrian and Iraqi waters will be polluted due to fertilisers, water needed for agriculture
