Water

• Global distribution of water:

  • North America, Europe and Russia have little or no water scarcity
  • North africa and Middle east have physical scarcity of water
  • South America and Central Africa have an economic scarcity of water
• Why are demands for water changing?

  • Increased wealth
  • Better hygiene
  • Increased demand for out of season food
  • Increased industrial production
  • Increased leisure use
  • Population growth
• Water surplus - when supply of water is greater than the demand
• Water deficit - when demand for water is greater than supply
• South East of England has a water deficit, because there is a high population density and the amount of rainfall is moderate.
• Reasons for poor water quality:

  • Agriculture - chemicals from fertilisers and pesticides
  • Industry - pollutants and chemicals from factories
  • Oil - oils spills
  • Sewage - contains harmful bacteria
  • Litter
• Ways to manage water pollution:

  • Legislation (restrict the amount and type of waste put into rivers)
  • Water treatment
  • Education
  • Infrastructure investment (new sewage, improved pipes)
• Global consumption of water increases due to:

  • Economic development
  • Population growth
• Factors affecting water availability:

  • Climate
  • Geology - (permeable rocks soaks up water creating aquifers, which are hard to access. Whereas impermeable rocks water flows.)
  • Pollution
  • Poverty - (people can't afford to pay for clean water)
  • Limited infrastructure
  • Over-abstraction - (water being abstracted quicker than it is replenished)
• Impacts of water insecurity:

  • Disease and pollution of rivers
  • Food production decreases - (less water to grow crops and for livestock)
  • Industrial output decreases
  • Conflict
• Strategies to increase water supply:

  • Diverting supplies and increasing storage
  • Dams and reservoirs
  • Water transfer
  • Desalination