Zusammenfassung der Ressource
A2 Geography- Water Conflicts
- geography of water supply
- physical factors
- climate-
distribution-
annual &
seasonal
rainfall
- Bluewater flow-
visible part of
hydrological cycle
- rivers-
transfer
of
surface
water
- geology-
distribution
of aquifers,
supply
underground
water
- water stress,
scarcity and
vulnerability
- 2025- 1/2
worlds
population water
vulnerable.-
many under
water stress
- Scarcity- annual supply drops below 1000m^3 per person.
- physical- more than
75% of countries river
flows being used
- economic- development of blue water
sources limited by lack of capital/technology-
Africa-only have access to 25% of supplies
- climate change & deterioration of ecosystems, rapid economic development(superpowers),
water stress rising- 2050-4 billion-middle east & africa and asia.
- MEDC- US USA & Spain- require water transfers and widespread desalination.
- human impacts
- quantity
- remove water from groundwater sources &
rivers, drinking, irrigation & industry.
- overabstraction-supplies not
replenished-reserves lost-rainfall can't
recharge underground stores
- quality
- pollute surface and groundwater supplies
- sewage disposal-forced to use unsafe water- water bourne
diseases-typhoid, cholera & hepatitis. -135m deaths 2020.
- farmers-chemical fertilisers- contaminate groundwater & rivers- hypoxia & dead zones in seas
- industrial waste dumped- heavy metals &
chemical waste toxic
- water insecurity
- not having access to
sufficient, safe water
- WPI(water Poverty Index)- how general poverty is linked to water poverty.-
assesses aspects of water management- resources(quantity-renewable
supply), access(improved water supply & sanitation), capacity (GDP per
capita, mortality rate, education), use ( amount used per person/sector in
proportion to GDP generated), environmental impact (water quality & stress)
- risks of water insecurity
- water supply problems
- essential to support irrigation- food production- high tech
cash crop farming-green revolution-high demands on water
- support industry- coca-cola
bottling plant- Kerala- 4.5m
L local water a day
- Hydroelectric power
production & cooling in
thermal power processing.
- safe,secure water
supplies- better health &
higher standards of human
wellbeing, MDG's
- extraction & use of water resources- environmental damage & supply problems. e.g Soviet
union- 75% surface water polluted. Aral sea declined to 10% of original size- river diversions for
cotton crop irrigation. Salination ecological and environmental impacts. - World bank restoring.
- water conflicts
- demands for
irrigation,
energy,
industry,
domestic use,
recreation,
conservation.-
tension
- water hotspots/pressure points-
need for management
- diminishing supply-
impact of climate
change, deterioration
quality, impact of
competing users e.g
upstream v
downstream
- rising
demands-
population
growth,
economic
development
- competing
demands- internal
conflicts in a basin,
international
issues- upstream v
downstream,
irrigation
- mainly upstream users diverting water/
impact of dams. - committees
established.- flood control,
infrastructure, technical cooperation e.g
Mekong river committee
- Current examples of surface water conflict
- Jordan
river- Use
of river by
Israel,
Jordan,
Lebanon &
Syria-
reduced
river flow.
effects
supplies to
Palestine.
- Ganges-
India built
dams
(Faraka)-
reduced flow
of river into
Bangleadesh
- Colorado
basin-
Disputes
over state
allocation-
quality &
quantity to
Mexico
does not
reach
agreed
standard
- Nile basin-
schemes in
Ethiopia and
Sudan
threaten
supplies to
Egypt.-
management
agreements in
place
- Groundwater
conflicts- Aquifer
usage
- pressure points- middle east,
Arabia & N Africa- water so over
abstracted it cannot be replenished.
- Subterranean aquifers- straddle
international boundaries- Shared
groundwater usage
- supplies underground- takes long time for
effects to be visible, hard to negotiate
share for each nation- not owned,
developed nations mine water more
efficiently-deeper wells & more efficient
pumps, lack of official legislation.
- water geopolitics
- Helsinki rules- general agreement that
international treaties must include
'equitable use' within drainage basins
when dividing criterial for water sharing
- Criteria- natural factors,
downstream impacts,
social and economic
needs, prior use
- player with greatest
military, economic &
political power is the
winner.
- Multilateral aid
scheme from world
bank- water sharing
agreements built in if
it involves a
transnational river
- laws passed- 'law of
the river'-share out
water of Colorado
between US states &
Mexico.- Still
disagreements,
especially during
drought.
- water transfers
- diversion of water
from one drainage
basin to another-
diversions/canal
construction. from
surplus to defecit
- Techno-fixes for
water
redistribution-huge
environmental &
economic costs-
desalination more
viable
- Snowy mountains scheme-
SE Australia- Water
transferred form storage
lake-Eucumbene- via tunnel
to Murray river to irrigate
farms in drought area
- S to N China transfer
project- began 2003- 50 yrs
to complete- $100B.
Transfer from water secure
South to drought stricken
North via 1300km canals-
Yangtze to Yellow Huai &
Hai rivers
- India-
planning
national
water
network-
better
distribution
of supplies to
water defect
areas. More
even spread.
- Canada- surplus-
NAWAPA scheme-
transfer water form
Alaska & NW
Canada to S
California & Mexico.
- Issues
- Source area- drop in flow of unto
60%- diversions, low river flow &
pollution- impact on ecosystems,
combine with climate change to
create water scarcity
- Receiving area- Availability of water leads to greater use-
development etc, unsustainable irrigated farming-
agribusiness, Nitrate eutrophication, salivation, ecosystem
destruction, pollution transfer
- water conflicts and the future
- will effect environment,
health & wellbeing, food
security
- Business as Usual-unsustainable
- water scarcity-reduce food production, consumption of water
rise by 50%, household water use increase by 70%(developed),
industrial water demand increase(developing)
- developing countries become reliant upon food imports &
experience hunger & malnutrition. Water pumped faster
than aquifers can recharge- W USA, Africa, China, India
- Water Crisis-
mismanagement of
water resources/
climate change
- global water
consumption further
increase-irrigation,
worldwide demand for
domestic water fall,
demand for industrial
water increase by 33%
but output remain the
same
- food production decline &
food prices(cereals)
increase rapidly.
developing- Malnutrition &
food insecurity increase.
dam building decline-fewer
potential sites, key
aquifers(China,India,N
Africa) fail. conflict increase
- Sustainable water
- global water consumption & industrial water
use fall, environmental flows increased, global
rain-fed crop yields increase- improvements in
water harvesting & sustainable farming,
Agricultural & Household water prices
x2(developed) & x3(developing)
- Food production increase slightly &
shifts in where it is grown. Prices fall
slowly. Governments, international
donors, farmers increase investment
in crop research, technology &
reforms in water management.
Governments delegate farm
management to community groups
- Water players & decision makers
- Political-International
organisations (UN) responsible
for MDGs, gov't depts, councils,
pressure groups to fight
issues-mega dams
- Economic(Business)- World bank & IMF
fund mega projects & legislation for
trans-boundary schemes, TNC water
companies-run supply business. TNCs &
Businesses that are large users ( agriculture,
industry, energy, recreation)
- Social(human welfare)- Individuals,
residents, consumers, land owners,
farmers, access to water is human
right. Health officials- try to ensure
safe water, NGOs-water aid-develop
sustainable schemes for LDCs
- Environmental(sustainable
development)-
Conservationists- fight hard
engineering schemes/save
wetlands. Scientists &
planners- develop new
schemes. WWF/UNESCO.
- Controversy
- Social-access is human right, Political- human need-
best provided through market mechanisms. To meet
MDG- half proportion of people without access to
improved water supply-$200B.- LDC governments
rely on private organisations to develop water supply
infrastructure.- can lead to rising prices for
consumers & lack of environmental improvement.
- to keep up with demand, political &
businesses prefer hard engineering-
mega dams, water transfer projects &
desalination plant clusters.- high social,
economic & environmental costs -
unsustainable
- responses to rising demands
- hard engineering projects
- dams-845,000, 5000 mega
dams. 2/3 fresh surface
water obstructed.
Unsustainable. 1/2 used for
irrigated agriculture.
- large scale water transfers- schemes
have huge environmental
consequences for source & receiving
areas.
- Desalination- in water
stressed technologically
advanced countries- UAE,
USA, Spain. Costs lowering-
improved technology
- Water Conservation
- agriculture- spray technology & drip irrigation- uses less water.
- grey water use- recycled industrial water
- domestic users- water
meters- eco-kettles,
water harvesting,
water companies
fixing broken pipes
- restoring damaged
wetlands to natural state-
renew water stores- Aral
Sea.
- Integrated water management
- Groundwater
management-
Aquifer storage &
reuse, quality &
quantity modelling
- waterway management- river
rehabilitation,sustainable water
allocation, waterway health,
environmental flows, waterway
structures.
- Monitoring technology- Sensor
technology, real-time wireless
monitoring & control systems
- Integrated urban water
management- Water
treatment technology, water
sensitive urban design,
water harvesting & reuse
- synoptic links
- Players- public/private issues, exploitation/conservation issues, supplier/user issues.
- Actions- resources usually government managed, but supply controlled by private companies
- Futures- Sustainability- conservation of existing supplies.
- Links to other units- Unit 1-world at risk( impact of short term climate
change). Unit 2- technological fix( major engineering projects and
appropriate technology), bridging the development gap(role of water as
lifeblood of development), Superpower geographies(role of mega
engineering projects in raising the profile of China and India). Wider
global issues- climate change and global warming responsible fro
increasing water crisis. development gap-access to clean water in LDCs
more difficult & cost is higher. sustainability of water as a resource.
- world water gap between
growing demand and
diminishing supplies
- population growth,
economic development,
rising SoL. -lead to conflict
- water supplies unevenly spread,
surpluses and deficits
- water availability gap-
LEDC & MEDC.-reflection
of development gap.-
imbalance in usage
- climate change-
developing nations lack
of resilience & technology
to adapt
- over abstraction of costal
areas & rising sea levels-
saltwater contamination
- cost of safe water
supply in
megacities rising-
slum users 6x
more costly
- pollution of supplies
in developing
countries & rapid
urban growth- rising
demand