Water Management

increasing water consumption
1. growth of world's population
2. economic development
3. more irrigation to produce food
factors affecting water availability
1. geology
  1. water in permeable rock
2. climate
3. pollution
4. over-abstraction
strategies to increase water supply
1. diverting water
  1. stored in alluvial salts
    1. eg Oklahoma, USA
2. dams and reservoirs
  1. advantages
    1. control river flow
    2. prevent flooding
  2. disadvantages
    1. expensive
    2. displacement of many
    3. reduce flow downstream
3. desalination
  1. remove salt from seawater
4. water transfer
  1. eg Lesotho Highland Water Project
    1. 40% water in R. Segu transferred to R. Vaal
    2. advantages
      1. Lesotho
        75% GDP
        covers all hydro-electric requirements
      2. South Africa
        safe water for extra 10%
        reduces acidity of R. Vaal
    3. disadvantages
      1. Lesotho
        30 000 displaced by 1st two dams
        destruction of wetland
        corruption
      2. South Africa
        US$4 billion
        40% lost through leakages
sustainable water supply
1. eg Wakel River Basin Project
  1. issues
    1. over-irrigation
      1. waterlogging and salinisation
  2. increasing supply
    1. taankas
      1. underground storage systems
      2. water from roofs
    2. johed
      1. earth dams
    3. pats
      1. irrigation channels to fields
2. groundwater management
  1. abstraction balanced by recharge
3. using grey water
  1. in Jordan, 70% of irrigation is grey water
4. recycling
  1. eg in nuclear power plants
impacts of water insecurity
1. waterborne diseases
2. water pollution
  1. eg River Ganges, India
    1. 1 billion litres of raw sewage enter river each day
    2. toxic chemicals and pesticides
3. food production
  1. agriculture uses 70% of water
4. water conflict

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	Created by rebecca e over 5 years ago