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PEIRCE SECONDARY SCHOOLGEOGRAPHY UNITSECONDARY ONEPART THREECHAPTER 4All About Geography Secondary OneWater Supply Will our taps run dry? Contents: Water Supply

2.Why does water shortage occur?

Demand factors

• Population _____________

• Affluence

Supply factors

• ____________ rainfall

• Water ____________

Demand Factors

i) Population growth

• Ever-increasing world population

• Increasing demand for _________

• ____________ consumption for agriculture will increase

• Worldwide demand for water is ____________ every 21 years, or even faster in some countries

• Water supply cannot keep up with such demands

NAME [REG NO] [ ]CLASSDATE

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Example

• Shijiazhuang (a growing city in China) is experiencing water shortage due to its rising population

– ______________: Consisted of a group of farming villages

– ______________: City had about 2.3 million people

• Rising population Increasing demand for water

• The city now pumps groundwater heavily with some of the wells going as deep as ________________.

Population growth

• Most of the world’s population growth will take place in _____________________.

• These countries are already facing water shortage or ____________

• Rising populations in these countries will put an even greater strain on their water resources

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ii) Affluence

• Being affluent: Having __________ and being able to live more comfortably

• Water consumption has increased __________ as fast as population growth in the last century

• People living in affluent countries use more water, or have a greater _______________, than those in less developed countries

• Between 2007 –2025, water consumption is predicted to rise by _______% in less developed countries and 18 % in developed countries

• With more ___________, people may also start to consume goods that are produced using more water and live a lifestyle that consumes more water

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Supply Factors

• In some countries, however, rainfall can vary greatly from month to month which affects the supply of fresh water available for use

Example (India)

• High annual precipitation of more than 1,200 mm

• Rainfall is unevenly distributed throughout the year

Most rainfall is received betweenJune and September (southwest monsoon season

• More than ½ of India’s population are engaged in farming

• Timing and amount of rainfall are crucial for the harvesting of crops (boom or a bust for India’s economy)

• In 2009:

– Monsoon rains did not come on time

– Widespread drought where the sugar production was so low that India had to import sugar

• In 2012:

– Monsoon rains were below average in the first half of the season

– Large parts of the country (including New Delhi) experienced drought

i) Seasonal rainfall

In Singapore, the amount of rainfall is generally the same every month and the annual ____________ is more than 2,000 mm

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– Heavy rains eventually came in August but it was too late for many rain-dependent farms

• _________________ of rainfall throughout the year in some regions will be intensified by climate change

• Climate change: Variation in the _______________ or climatic pattern in the long run.

• Earth’s average temperature is predicted to rise which will cause a change in rainfall patterns and more extreme weather-related hazards such as ____________and ________________.

ii) Water pollution

• Pollution: Introduction of substances into the natural environment (air, water, land) that results in ______________ or __________________ to the environment and human health

• Common pollutants include garbage, chemicals and waste water

• Can cause the water quality to drop, sometimes becoming ____________ for people and unsuitable for aquatic life

• Supply of clean fresh water is ____________ and water shortage may occur

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Example (_________________)

• Largest river in India

• More than 400 million people live along the river (most populated river basin in the world

• River provides water for __________, bathing and ___________.

• Also, it holds _______________as it is seen as a sacred river

• Pollution has threatened this water resource

Example (Ganges River)

• Industries near the river have inadequate __________________ facilities and dump their waste directly into the river

• Large concentration of leather industries in Kanpur city use large amounts of chromium and other chemicals in the leather tanning process and discharge the waste products into the river

• Surrounding towns also discharge a large amount of waste into the river

• As a result, the water has turned brown

• Kanpur is facing water __________ due to the unclean water

• In many places, water shortage is caused by both natural and human factors

• Many people spend a large proportion of their time searching for clean water

There are serious consequences to lacking such an essential and precious resource!

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How does water shortage impact people and countries?

____________ impact

• Increased difficulty in collecting water

• Water rationing

Economic impact

• Reduced _____________ yields

• Increased cost of industrial production

Political impact

• ____________ over water supply

Domestic impact

i) Increased difficulty in collecting water

• ____________ people lack access to safe drinking water

• In the less developed countries, one in five people do not have access to safe water

• In most of these countries, _____________ of water is used for agriculture, leaving little for domestic use

• Drought can also cause wells and ponds to dry up

• Water is scarce and people have to travel long distances to obtain it

• On average, women in some parts of Asia and Africa have to walk 6 km to collect water

• They can only bring back as much as they can carry and the water collected may be dirty

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ii) Water rationing

• ________________: Making water available only at certain times of the day

• During the 1960s, Singapore suffered a severe drought which caused water levels in the reservoirs to be dangerously low

• Singapore’s water supply was under ________________

• To conserve the water supply, the government imposed water _____________ which affected every household in Singapore

• People had to queue to collect water for their daily use during the water rationing exercise

Economic impact

i) Reduced agricultural yields

• Agriculture uses ________ of the global fresh water supply

• If water supply decreases, crop yield (the amount or quantity grown) drops

• Less food will be produced and some people may die from starvation

ii) Increased cost of industrial production

• Cost of industrial production: The cost of producing and manufacturing goods

• Fresh water is needed by industries for various purposes

• As water constraints increase, so will the cost of industrial production

Example (Power generation industry)

• The power generation industry relies heavily on water to cool parts of the generators

• In Europe and USA, droughts have caused water shortages and warmer waters

• As a result, during warm, dry summers in 2003, 2006 and 2009, some power plants in Europe reduced their power output as there was a lack of water to cool the generators

Similarly, from 2007 to 2008, several power plants such as the Millstone Nuclear Power Plant in the US had to cut production or shut down for a few days

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The cut in power production increased the price of power and affected the cost of production in other industries

Example (Beverage industry)

• Companies which produce soft drinks use a lot of water in their production

• Besides being the main ingredient, water is also used in other parts of the process such as rinsing, cleaning, heating and cooling

• 1 litre of soft drink requires at least 2.43 litres of water to produce

• An increase in water prices will lead to higher production costs

Political impact

Conflict over water supply

• Conflict can arise over water resources when there is not enough water to go around

• On a __________scale, there can be conflicts between farmers and factories over the use of water in a lake

• On a national or global scale, problems may arise when states or countries tap into the same water resource

• One country’s use of the resource could reduce the amount available to another country e.g. Mekong River(Thailand)

The Mekong River winds its way nearly 4,500 km through six countries

From its source on the Tibetan Plateau, the river meanders through China, Myanmar, Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam before reaching the South China Sea

The river supports 60 to 70 million people in Southeast Asia and southern China

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• With increasing demands for water, conflicts may arise among countries that share the same global ‘____________’

For example:

• Lao PDR’s proposal to build the Xayaburi hydropower dam received strong objections from neighbouring countries as the dam will decrease the flow of water downstream

• Livelihoods of many who rely on the river to maintain their fisheries and farmland could be affected

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