4 - Water World

Water World
Water World
What is the impact of insufficient water supply on humans? E.g. the Sahel, North Africa Why are there water shortages?
Unreliable rainfall The Sahel region receives very low rainfall Surface runoff Much of the rain it receives is lost through surface runoff, when it comes in torrential down ours. Wealth Many of the countries in Sahel are !E"#$s so cannot afford to i e water to laces that need it. Population growth The o ulation is going u very fast so there are more eo le demanding water. Climate change %s ma&ing rainfall less relia'le in the area
What are the effects of the water shortages?

Droughts #auses rivers to dry u . This can affect farming and food su ly and therefore lead to famine. Desertification With less water and grass for animals, land is overgra(ed. This can lead to lants dieing, soil erosion and the area 'ecoming a dessert.
What are the effects of global warming on semi arid areas E.g. the Sahel, North Africa Effects of the environment
)reci itation in the semi*arid Sahel region could fall 'y +,-. This would effect lant life. The ris& of flooding and coastal erosion would increase. As glo'al warming increases fragile ha'itats may not survive and 'etween +,*0,- of s ecies in Africa could face e1tinction.
Effects on humans
"ue to changes in reci itation .less, although with heavier 'ursts/ will reduce cro roduction and reduce food su lies. %ncreases in tem erature could see the increase of diseases li&e Malaria. 2amine and malnutrition will increase.
"ue to de't in many countries in Africa, they have cho ed down forests to grow more cro s to sell. "roughts will cause 3desertification$, changing fertile land into desert.
Water World
How do humans cause water pollution?

Agricultural: 2ertilisers are washed into rivers. This can cause river lants to grow 4uic&ly, which ta&es u all the o1ygen in the river. This can &ill fish in the river. Domestic: Sewage can 'e washed into rivers. This ollutes the water and &ills many organisms. ransport: Salt and materials can 'e washed into rivers from roads. This can harm the fish and lant life. !ndustrial: )ower stations can wash chemicals into the river. This will affect the water 4uality and ma&e it very dangerous to humans and animals.
How do humans interfere with water supplies?

Deforestation .cho ing down trees/: This can reduce interce tion and can lead to increased surface runoff and flooding Urbanisation .the growth of cities/: This leads to a reduction in infiltration. %t also has im ermea'le surfaces, such as roads and car ar&s, so surface runoff increases and floods can occur. "#er abstraction of ground water: The water ta'le can fall and this can cause ground su'sidence. Cloud seeding: This increases reci itation 'y hel ing clouds to form. Although can reduce rainfall in other areas.
$anaging water supplies: pro(ect)
he Aswan Dam% &gypt 'a large scale
The Aswan dam was a large scale ro5ect "ams are used to regulate the flow of rivers.
Advantages
Water can 'e used to irrigate farmland all year round. More land can 'e irrigated. With water always availa'le two or three cro s can 'e grown each year. These can 'e sold for a rofit to ma&e Egy t richer. The dam roduces electricity for villages, cities and factories. 6illages are safer from flooding as the level of the water can 'e controlled. There are more factories, more tourism and more fishing. This means there are more 5o's.
"isadvantages.
7+, ,,, eo le were forced to leave their homes 'ecause the villages they lived in were ermanently flooded when the dam was 'uilt. 2armland has also 'een ermanently flooded, including the land of the traditional she herds. No more silt .soil/ is de osited so the farmland 'ecomes less fertile. 2ertilisers have to 'e added to the soil. These are e1 ensive. 2ertiliser is washed into the 8iver Nile causing ollution. Water snails cause a disease called 9ilhar(ia. 2lood waters usually wash the snails out to sea 'ut now the dam has 'een 'uilt there are more snails and so more disease which can &ill eo le.
Water World
$anaging water supplies: WaterAid% *hana 'a small scale pro(ect)

WaterAid is an +*" Non :overnmental ;rganisation .#harity/ N:;$s use appropriate technology. These are schemes to meet the needs of local eo le and the environment in which they live. Many eo le in rural :hana are forced to drin& muddy dirty water. Animals drin& from the same water. <ou can catch diseases from the water li&e guinea worm .which can grow u to = feet long/. Water Aid has installed water um s in many villages which rovide eo le with safe, clean water. )eo le in the villages are educated 'y N:;$s li&e Water Aid on 'asic hygiene. This is sto ing the s read of guinea worm disease. Many more girls can go to school now as they are no longer need to collect water from great distances.
This is a sustainable a roach as it has ositive im acts on the eo le$s lives> it also uses afforda'le materials which can 'e sourced locally.

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Water World

What are the effects of the water shortages?

How do humans cause water pollution?

How do humans interfere with water supplies?

$anaging water supplies: pro(ect)

he Aswan Dam% &gypt 'a large scale

$anaging water supplies: WaterAid% *hana 'a small scale pro(ect)

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