Water Shortages | Geography for GCSE/IGCSE - Year 11 PDF Download

Water shortages (deficit)

• Many regions worldwide experience water shortages, known as deficits.
• Water deficits can arise from various factors:
  • Insufficient supply: This can result from low precipitation, high evaporation rates, inadequate water management, droughts, and pollution.
  • High demand: Growing populations, expanding industries, and agricultural needs contribute to increased water demand.
  • A combination of low supply and high demand aggravates the situation.
• Regions most affected by water deficits include:
  • Australia
  • Northern, Eastern, and Southern Africa
  • Middle East
  • Southwestern USA
  • Eastern Brazil, parts of Argentina and Chile
  • India
• These areas are typically located around the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, experiencing severe water scarcity.

Water Surplus and Deficit

• Water shortage manifests in different degrees, categorized as water stress and water scarcity:
  • Water stress arises when the supply falls below 1700 cubic meters per person annually.
  • Water scarcity occurs when the supply dips below 1000 cubic meters per person annually.
• There are two types of water scarcity:
  • Physical water scarcity results from limited access to water due to climatic conditions.
  • Economic water scarcity arises when a population lacks the financial means to utilize available water resources.
• The UN Millennium Development Goals, including Goal 7, aimed to reduce the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by half by 2015. Though this goal wasn't fully achieved, access to clean water has improved.
• As of 2020, 74% of the global population now has access to clean water supplies. However, some areas may have water availability that is not suitable for consumption.
• UNICEF estimates that 2.2 billion people lack access to clean drinking water, while approximately 4.2 billion lack access to safely managed sanitation services.
• Water scarcity is projected to worsen globally due to:
  • Population growth.
  • Development leading to increased demand.
  • Climate change exacerbating aridity.
  • Pollution.

Causes of water shortage

• Some regions face water deficits due to low precipitation or prolonged droughts.
• In certain countries, demand surpasses supply due to population growth, industrial expansion, and agricultural needs.
• Transboundary rivers pose challenges as upstream countries may:
  • Extract significant amounts of water for various purposes, leaving less for downstream nations.
  • Construct dams or alter river flow, affecting downstream discharge.
  • Introduce pollution, compromising water quality.
• Rising temperatures can heighten evaporation and transpiration rates, reducing available water.
• Agricultural land use amplifies water consumption.
• Disparities in water availability exist within countries; for example, China faces severe shortages in the north but has better supply in the south.
• Conflict-ridden LEDCs often struggle to meet Millennium Development Goals related to water access.

Impacts of Water Supply Issues

• Death and sickness from diseases like cholera and dysentery
• Potential conflicts arising from water scarcity, especially in shared river basins
• Children in rural areas of Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs) missing school due to water collection responsibilities
• Food scarcity resulting from:
  • Reduced crop yields due to lack of irrigation
  • Livestock perishing due to water shortages
• Damage to ecosystems and loss of habitats
• Impact on economic growth as water becomes unavailable for industrial use

Management of Water Supply

• Managing water supply presents numerous options, but this task is more feasible in More Economically Developed Countries (MEDCs) where financial resources for implementing such schemes are readily accessible.
  
• In LEDCs, water management poses challenges due to limited financial resources.
• Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) like Water Aid play a crucial role in funding water projects.
• Implementing appropriate technology is vital for effective water management in LEDCs. This includes:
  • Wells
  • Gravity-fed systems: Water is piped from higher elevations like springs or rivers.
  • Boreholes: Hand pumps are used to extract water to the surface.
  • Rainwater collection from roofs
  • Drip irrigation
  • Drought-resistant crops

Case Study: Spain

• In south-east Spain, the average annual precipitation amounts to about 365mm.
• Most of the precipitation in this region occurs during the winter months.
• This area of Spain is known to be one of the driest regions in Europe.
• Agriculture in this region consumes 80% of the available water, with 147,000 hectares of land requiring irrigation.
• Due to recurrent droughts, the water supply is further strained, leading to a water deficit as the demand surpasses the supply.
• The issue is compounded by tourism activities, such as water parks and golf courses, which heavily rely on water resources.

Water Usage Breakdown

• On average, a tourist in this region consumes between 450-800 litres of water per day.
• In comparison, an average Spaniard uses 127 litres of water daily.

Water Usage Statistics

• Water consumption in recreational facilities like water parks and golf courses is notably high.
• An average tourist typically uses anywhere between 450 to 800 liters of water per day.
• On average, a person in Spain uses approximately 127 liters of water daily.

Tagus-Segura Water Transfer Project

• The Tagus-Segura project was completed in 1978.
• Approximately 60% of the water that flows into the Tagus River is diverted through a 286km pipeline connecting various Spanish river basins.
• The primary objective of the project was to supply water to regions like Alicante, Murcia, and Cartagena in southeastern Spain to address water shortages.

Tagus-Segura Project:

Issues

• A significant portion of the transferred water was utilized by tourist and leisure establishments rather than smaller-scale farmers.
• Following the increase in water supply, water consumption in the southeastern region rose notably.
• It is estimated that around 15% of the transferred water is being unlawfully used by leisure facilities such as golf courses.
• Large commercial farms are reaping more benefits from the transferred water compared to small-scale farmers.

Ebro project

• A proposal for a second water transfer project emerged in 2001, aiming to shift water from the River Ebro.
• However, this endeavor faced abandonment due to several reasons:
  • The failure and complications associated with the Tagus-Segura project.
  • The substantial costs involved in the implementation.
  • The potential threat posed to the Ebro delta, as the plan would disrupt sediment flow crucial for the delta's ecosystem.
• Specifically, the problems included:
  • The issues stemming from the Tagus-Segura project.
  • The financial burden linked to the project.
  • The risk posed to the Ebro delta's environment due to sediment flow disruption.
• Consequently, Spain has shifted its focus towards utilizing desalination plants to cater to the water demands.