Geography notes about water resources, Cheat Sheet of Geography

Download Geography notes about water resources and more Cheat Sheet Geography in PDF only on Docsity! Chapter 8 – Water Resource Water is important for drinking, cooking, cleaning and so on. Water Constraint – The problem of water shortage when the amount of water consumed by people all over the world exceed the amount of fresh water available for human use. Reasons for water constraint Limited supply of fresh water - Water covers only about three quarters of the Earth’s surface - Two percent of fresh water is frozen in the form of ice and snow - Therefore, only one percent of water is readily available for people to use. - Freshwater can be found in lakes, rivers, streams called surface water and can also be found deep underground, known as groundwater. Uneven distribution of fresh water - While some countries have an abundant supply of fresh water, others suffer from lack of it. - A reason for the uneven distribution of fresh water is the differences in climate. - Insufficient water can lead to problems such as affecting agriculture and a shortage of food for people. Water pollution - Even with sufficient amount of fresh water, not all of them are safe to drink. - Human activities pollute the water. - Many of the lakes and rivers are too polluted for activities such as swimming, drinking and fishing. - Waste from factories and households are carelessly dumped into rivers which then pollutes the water. - The discharge of waste chemicals from surrounding industries also causes water pollution. Rising demand for water Population growth - The world’s population has tripled while the demand for water has increased more than 6 times. - By 2050, the world’s population is expected to increase by about three billion people. - This means the total amount of fresh water will have to be shared among more people. Growth of agriculture - There is an increasing need to grow more food to feed the growing population on Earth. - Three quarters of the world’s fresh water supply is used for the watering of crops and the rearing of livestocks - Large-scale irrigation projects are often developed to channel water from rivers, lakes and groundwater to farm areas with little rainfall. Growth of industries - Water plays an important part in the daily operation of industries. - They are used for cleaning and cooling machines, and as the raw material in making products such as food, chemicals and paper Changes in lifestyle - In developed countries people can afford to buy items which will provide them with more convenience and greater comfort. - Most homes have electrical appliances such as air conditioners and washing machines, which lead to an increase in the demand for water. Responses to rising demand for water Increasing the price of water - When we increase the price of water, people who do not want to pay more will be encouraged to use less water. - The price increase also helps to reduce the rising costs of producing and distributing water. - However, this is not the best idea because only rich people would be able to use the amount of water as they want but the poor would suffer when the prices increase. Increasing the supply of water There are three ways in which the supply of water can be increased, - Increasing catchment areas - Buying water from other countries through international agreement - Use of technology ( Water recycling and desalination ) Increasing catchment areas - A catchment area is an area over which rain falls and is collected. - An increase in the catchment area means an increase in the amount of water collected. - Nature reserves are often used as catchment areas because forests retain a supply of fresh water. - Rainwater is intercepted by the trees and plannts and is then absorbed by the soil layers on the ground. - This water will eventually be drained into a reservoir for storage. Steps of water catchment areas 1. Reservoir 2. Pumping station 3. Raw water mixing chamber 4. Settling tank