4.2 Water access, use and securityIB Environmental Systems and Societies SL: Flashcards
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Define water security.
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- Define water security.
- Having access to sufficient amounts of safe drinking water.
- Define water scarcity.
- The limited availability of water to human societies.
- Name four types of factor affecting access to fresh water.
- Social, cultural, economic and political.
- What does equitable access mean?
- Fair access to water for all people, so well-being is not harmed by where or who they are.
- Why does population growth increase pressure on water?
- More people and more economic activity raise demand, so supply or efficiency must increase.
- Name four ways to increase water supply.
- Dams, reservoirs, rainwater catchment systems, desalination plants and enhancement of natural wetlands.
- Environmental impact of a dam and reservoir?
- Floods land upstream, destroying habitats and displacing people; alters river flow downstream.
- Main problems of desalination?
- High energy use and cost, and disposal of salty brine harming marine life.
- Give two domestic water conservation techniques.
- Low-flow showerheads, dual-flush toilets, fixing leaks, water butts, reusing grey water.
- How does drip irrigation conserve water?
- It delivers water directly to roots, reducing evaporation and run-off.
- Give two industrial conservation strategies in food production.
- Recycling wastewater, scheduling irrigation with sensors, rainwater harvesting, drought-tolerant crops.
- What was Cape Town's "Day Zero"?
- The predicted day when dams would be so low that most taps would be turned off (2018); strict restrictions helped avoid it.
- What are demand-side strategies for scarcity?
- Pricing, metering, restrictions and campaigns that reduce the amount of water used.
- Why might rural areas have poorer water access?
- Lower incomes and less investment, with long distances to collect water; economic and political factors.
Written by the Exaim team, led by Shaun Daswani (Head of Upper Secondary, Improve ME Institute; MSc Financial Mathematics, Imperial College London; BSc, UCL) and Jason Daswani (operational lead, Improve ME Institute; LSE).