Unit 6 - Managing water supplies

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30 Terms

1
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How is water distributed?

  • Saltwater

  • Surface freshwater

  • Sub-surface freshwater

  • Atmospheric water

2
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Where is surface freshwater found?

Glaciers, lakes, rivers

  • Inflows: precipitation, overland runoff, groundwater seepage, & glacial/snow melt

  • Outflows: evaporation, infiltration into ground stores, & abstraction by humans

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Where is sub-surface freshwater found?

Groundwater, soil moisture, & permafrost

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Describe aquifers

Zone of rock saturated with water

  • Top of this zone = water table (rises & falls based on input/output)

  • Confined aquifers lay below + above impermeable material (aquitards)

    • Unconfined = more susceptible to drought

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What is water security?

the ability to access sufficient quantities of clean water to maintain adequate standards of food and manufacturing of goods, adequate sanitation and sustainable health care

6
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How can climate change cause water insecurity?

changes in rainfall because warmer air holds more moisture

  • Can cause increased drought, flooding, & decline in snow fall

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How can natural disasters cause water insecurity?

Flooding → erosion of topsoil, pollutes water supply (e.g fertilizer), damages sanitation infrastructure

8
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How do pollution events cause water insecurity?

Water pollution: can occur at point source OR misuse of a water source for dumping waste

  • Run off of: domestic waste (e.g. sewage), industrial waste (e.g. heavy metals), agricultural chemical & fertilizer run off (eutrophication)

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How can groundwater be polluted & cause water insecurity?

Can be contaminated by metals like iron & fluoride

  • From: leachate, septic tanks, storm water drains, saltwater intrusion (saltwater moves into freshwater aquifers)

  • Salt-water intrusion: over abstraction of freshwater reduce pressure & salt water can enter the aquifer

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How can population growth cause water insecurity?

  • population increases → demand for water increases

    • more waste & over abstraction of water from aquifers (drops water table + makes them harder & more expensive to access)

      • Impacts flora & fauna: springs + streams that wildlife rely on may dry out & trees that access the water table with deep roots will dehydrate + die

    • Changes in land usage → deforestation & urbanisation

      • Forest + wetlands can act as natural water reservoirs → water can’t infiltrate & recharge groundwater supplies

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How can competing demands from agricultural, industrial, and domestic sectors cause water insecurity?

  • Industrial: power plants, metal/plastic manufacturing

  • Municipal: households (toilet, shower, drinking water)

  • Agriculture: water for livestock, irrigation water for crops

    • Most human water use

12
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How can international competition over water sources cause water insecurity?

conflict b/t regions/countries over water access

  • Waterways being damned can deprive users of water source

  • Some rivers cross int’l borders (e.g. Jordan River b/t Syria/Israel)

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How can inequality of water availability cause water insecurity?

people in LICs are less likely to have access to clean drinking water than HICs (can pay for infrastructure for a safe water supply)

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How can differing access to safe drinking water in urban and rural areas cause water insecurity?

urban areas have better access to clean water (have financial resources) than rural ones

  • Urban areas may face significant water supply problems + impoverished urban areas may not have access to clean water + sanitation

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How can mismanagement of irrigation (e.g. salinisation) cause water insecurity?

water supplies can run out & create human-drought conditions

  • Overuse of water → soil salinization → salt on top layer & reduces productivity

  • Eutrophication, increased turbidity, toxic water pollution, harm to ecosystems + groundwater

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How can inadequate sanitation cause water insecurity?

sewage systems + water management plants

  • Sanitation mismanagement: changes in supply/demand + aging infrastructure

    • Septic waste contamination → cholera, diarrhea, etc.

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What are some impacts of water insecurity?

  • Reduced crop yield, crop failure, livestock death

    • food shortages, malnutrition and famine

  • Illness from contaminated drinking water

    • Exposure to bacteria in septic waste → cholera & diarrhea

  • Poverty: unable to grow food + stay healthy

    • “Poverty trap” = sick person is unable to work & struggles to afford healthcare

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How can piped supply manage water insecurity?

Transports water

  • Improves access & reduces water insecurity, BUT can be expensive & leaks add to water stress

19
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How can aquifers + artesian wells manage water insecurity?

body of rock/sediment that holds groundwater; well drilled into an aquifer where pressure pushes water out

  • Steady supply (none lost to evaporation) & cheap to extract, BUT can get depleted if over-pumped, saltwater intrusion in coastal areas, & difficult to de-contaminate

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How can boreholes manage water insecurity?

Narrow hole to locate water

  • Affordable, safe water that can be used for non-potable actions, BUT can lead to contamination + be over-extracted

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How can gravity-fed schemes manage water insecurity?

Cheap & effective for a smaller sized crop area, BUT not applicable in flat terrain + needs management

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How can reservoirs and dams manage water insecurity?

Increasing holding supply can protect water supply during stress

  • Cheap electricity, year-round water supply, BUT flooded land destroys land + displaces people, migration and spawning of fish may be disrupted

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Ways to reduce domestic water usage:

rainwater tanks, low flow shower heads, low flush toilets, overall awareness

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Ways to reduce agricultural water usage:

improved irrigation techniques (e.g. drip irrigation/soil moisture), growing crops less dependent on high water supply

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Ways to reduce industrial water usage:

reusing/recycling clean water, upgrading technology to more efficient solutions, routine maintenance (checking for leaky pipes)

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How can education on sustainable water use manage water insecurity?

gives people knowledge about their responsibility for their own water consumption

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How can poverty reduction manage water insecurity?

population will be healthier, agricultural development/cultivation, & produce manufactured goods (job opportunities)

28
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Water-related aid & int’l agreement examples:

  • Water Convention of 1996: established 3 main pillars to promote cooperation b/t nations & ensure fair + secure water usage

  • Water aid: aims to ensure a safe water supply → reduce infant mortality + food insecurity

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How can rationing manage water insecurity?

Existing resources last longer, BUT doesn’t find an alternative & difficult to manage

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How the distillation of saltwater manage water insecurity?

heating saltwater until it evaporates

  • Improves access to clean water & cheap, BUT leaves behind waste (brine) and requires an energy sources