geography sustainable water resources

• Water companies have imposed hosepipe bans to conserve water supplies during periods of drought.
• During times of high demand or shortage, water companies may impose restrictions on household use such as limiting shower time, flushing toilets, and washing cars.
• The UK government has introduced measures such as the Water Act (2014) to encourage more efficient use of water by businesses, households, and farmers.
• There is a finite amount of water available and so we must manage the water we have carefully to ensure we have enough water not only for us today but for future generations
• Building more reservoirs and transfer that water

  Large areas would be flooded 

  Large amounts of energy required to move the water

  Both economically and environmentally unsustainable
• Abstracting more water from the ground

  Reduces long term supply of groundwater if more taken out than put in

  The EA (environment agency) has reduced amount that can be abstracted
• Install water metres

  Metred houses typically use less water as they are more aware of their daily uses
• Educate consumers on water use

  Toilet flushing uses ⅓ of household water

  Encouraging consumers to fit a dual flush reduces water usage
• Mend old infrastructure

  Leakages have been reduced by 35%

  More water is then available for use
• Treat wastewater to be used for drinking

  Recycling means more water is available

  However, less would go back into rivers and so could change the environment
• China has 20% of the world’s population but only 5% of the world’s water supplies

  • North China has half of the population and over half of the farmed area 
  • However, it is much drier than the South
• • China also has seasonal imbalances 60-80% of annual rainfall comes in summer during wet season
• • Rapid economic development caused huge water demand increase
  • Now ⅔ of cities suffer from water shortages
• • Industrialisation happened at expense of the environment
  • Agricultural development relied on fertilisers - now half of rivers are severely polluted
  • 300 million rural residents lack access to safe drinking water
• South-North Water Transfer Scheme 

  • The world’s biggest water transfer project
  • Costs 70 billion dollars
  • Brings 50 billion cubic metres of water from the wetter south to drier north
• Water transfer scheme was unsuccessful

  • Water from the south is so polluted by industry and agriculture
  • Loads of energy required to clean and transfer water
  • Also requires 330,000 people to relocate for reservoir construction
• 2011 plans focus on managing water sustainably. By 2020 the Chinese government wants China to have:

  • Monitoring of water use so government can plan water use and make sure industries and local governments obeying water laws
  • Highly efficient water use in industry and irrigation that will align supply and demand without damaging economic development
  • Protection for river and groundwater controls that remove pollution- safe water!!!
• Engineering fixes- 

  • Lining irrigation channels so less water lost to soil
  • Covering crops with plastic sheeting to reduce water loss from evapotranspiration
• Farming method change-

  • Mixing straw into soil for retaining moisture
  • Using drought resistant crop types
• Techniques monitored-

  • Rice fields only topped up with water when moisture levels dropped to certain level
• Wastewater recycling

  • Main way they are conserving water use
  • Water treatment investment meant that by 2010 18 plants were being built weekly
  • 80% Beijing’s annual wastewater  recycled
• State organisations

  • Installed water saving devices on taps and toilets
  • Almost all homes in Beijing have also installed these
• Water prices

  • Regularly adjusted to incentivise businesses and individuals not to waste water
• Although Beijing’s population has doubled since 1980, its water use is now less than it was 30 years ago