Increasing Water Supply - Examples

Question 1

Describe the China water transfer

Answer 1

Planned to $62 billion project: tranfer 44.8 billion cubic metres of water every year from south to north

Question 2

Describe 3 advantages of the China water transfer

Answer 2

• Provides water in Beijing & Tianjin
• Allows industry to develop = more wealth
• Provides water for irrigating farmland = crops

Question 3

Describe 4 disadvantages of China water transfer

Answer 3

1. Large areas flooded = destroying habitats
   
   1. • Huge construction works = damage ecosystems
2. Raising dam of Reservoir flooded productive farmland & forced 345,000 people to move
   
   1. Now have less land & poorly built housing
   2. Received little compensation & unemployed
3. Water it supplies to Beijing = very expensive for consumers
   
   1. Supplies to urban areas
   2. Urban poor + rural areas have no acess
4. Water stress in south will increases (a lot water diverted)
   
   1. During severe droughts = won’t be enough for drinking/irrigation for 30 million locals

Question 4

Kenya is using ___ ___ to create a sustainable water supply

Answer 4

Sand Dams

Question 5

Describe how Kenya has little water (3x)

Answer 5

• Few heavy downpours per year
• Rivers only flow during rainy season
• During dry season = water evaporates

Question 6

How are sand dams helped the Kenyan people?

Answer 6

Gives them acess to water all year round

Question 7

Describe how sand dams work

Answer 7

1. Low dam built across river
2. During rainy season = when water flowing in river = course material trapped behind dam
3. Water gets trapped between sand particles
4. Sand prevents water from being evaporated in dry season
5. When river stops flowing = water extracted by digging well, piping water through dam to tap or digging holes

Question 8

Name 3 advantages of sand dams

Answer 8

• Cheap to build
• Use local materials
• Don’t require much maintenance

Question 9

What is the disadvantage of sand dams?

Answer 9

1/3 of what gets trapped behind dam = water

Question 10

How are sand dams mantained?

Answer 10

Height of dam = raised each year to trap more sand & more water