Water Resource Management

• Resource

  A product that is valuable to living
• Essential global resources


  • Food
  • Water
  • Energy
• Water

  • Important for human life
  • Essential for humans to survive to drink clean water daily
  • Used in business and food production
• Water consumption in everyday items

  • Cars require 76,000 litres
  • Jeans require 8,000 litres
  • A barrel of beer requires 6,000 litres
• Water consumption in food production

  • 1kg of beef requires 15,500 litres
  • 1kg of olives requires 4,400 litres
  • 1kg of chocolate requires 24,000 litres
• Water Surplus

  The supply of water exceeds the demand for water
• Water Deficit

  The supply of water is less than the demand for water
• Water Stress

  There could be a large enough volume of water to meet demand, but not enough clean, good quality water is available or the water is inaccessible
• Comparing water surplus/deficit to level of development

  • Newly industrialised countries have the highest levels of water stress
  • MEDCs have medium levels of water stress
  • LEDCs have smaller scale industries and tend to conserve water
• Water Security

  Having a clean, reliable source of water that meets demand throughout the year
• The amount of clean water across the world is decreasing, whilst the consumption of water is greatly increasing
• This is because the world's population is increasing massively, some water sources are becoming polluted by industries, and climate change is reducing the amount of rainfall in hot climates and also increasing the frequency of weather hazards, which can damage clean water supplies and increase water insecurity
• Impacts of Water Insecurity

  • Water-borne diseases
  • Impacts on food and agriculture
  • Conflict
• Water-borne diseases

  • Symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, stomach cramps
  • Can be fatal, resulting in 829,000 deaths around the world in 2016
  • Can also lead to parasites like mosquitoes and worms
• Impacts on food and agriculture

  • Droughts can cause crop failures and reduce yields, increasing food insecurity
  • Other industries require a constant supply of water, so businesses may move if there isn't enough water
• There are many disputes over water sources between different states or between different countries, such as the conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Nile River
• Strategies to Increase Water Supplies

  • Underground Storage
  • Dams and Reservoirs
  • Water Transfer Schemes
  • Desalination
• Underground Storage


  • Reduces water loss due to evaporation, works for infrequent rainfall, but is expensive to construct and run constantly
• Dams and Reservoirs

  • Control river flow and can reduce flooding, generate hydroelectric power, but some villages/towns must be flooded and reservoirs can lose water through evaporation
• Water Transfer Schemes

  • Supplies large urban cities, can be profitable for countries with surplus water, but very expensive to construct and risk of leakages
• Desalination

  • Increases the volume of freshwater available, especially in coastal areas, but requires energy which adds cost and produces concentrated waste brine
• The strategies above all increase the supply of water for areas of high demand, but tend to involve large concrete constructions which release carbon dioxide and disrupt habitats
• Therefore, some governments wish to look into more sustainable strategies, which are also ideal for smaller towns and villages
• Reverse osmosis


  Process of converting water into fresh water
• Sustainable water supply strategies

  Increase the supply of water for areas of high demand
• Sustainable water supply strategies tend to be used for major cities, where there is a high population and existing water supplies are under high demand
• Most sustainable water supply strategies involve large concrete constructions, which releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and any habitats or wildlife must migrate away from construction
• Sustainable strategies are ideal for smaller towns and villages, who couldn't afford a reservoir or transfer scheme
• Water conservation

  Easy and cheap strategy to reduce the demand for clean water
• Groundwater management

  • Using laws to manage the number of water pumps to reduce the risk of over extraction from aquifers
  • Reduces the risk of water being consumed and not replaced naturally (known as recharge)
  • Reduces the risk of contamination. The lower the water levels in aquifers, the higher the risk of salt or pollution contaminating it