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• What are some common hard engineering methods used to manage water supplies?

  Hard engineering methods include building dams, implementing large-scale water transfer projects, and constructing desalination plants. These are long-standing solutions for increasing water availability.
• How does Singapore manage its water supply holistically?

  Singapore uses multiple strategies: water metering and education, cutting leakage, charging more for high usage, offering subsidies to the poor, and using rainwater harvesting, water recycling, and desalination to reduce dependency on Malaysia.
• How does Israel manage its limited water supply?

  Israel employs smart irrigation, water recycling, imports virtual water (goods that require a lot of water to produce), charges realistic prices, reduces agricultural use, imports water (e.g., from Turkey), and uses desalination.
• What are the key features and controversies of the Three Gorges Dam in China?

  : It controls Yangtze flooding, generates hydroelectric power, and aids navigation. However, it flooded 632 km² of land, displaced 1.3 million people, and causes poor water quality due to industrial, sewage, and farm waste.
• What are the environmental pros and cons of Israel’s desalination project?

  Pros: Provides reliable water, reduces dependency on rain. Aims to supply 70% of domestic water by 2020.Cons: High energy demand (though partly solar), and produces salty waste harmful to ecosystems.
• How did Saudi Arabia change its water strategy to protect aquifers?

  After overusing aquifers for wheat farming in the 1980s, Saudi Arabia switched to importing grain and ceased domestic wheat production to preserve groundwater supplies.
• What is Integrated Drainage Basin Management and how is it applied to the Colorado River?

  It's a cooperative approach to water sharing. The 1922 Colorado Compact allocated water to seven US states and Mexico. Updates include: 2007: Supplies adjusted based on Lake Mead levels. 2012: Mexico’s allocation varies with surplus/drought, and US can purchase part of Mexico’s share during surplus