Water supply problems.

Question 1

What are the 3 quality problems associated with water supply in HICs?

Answer 1

1. Factories give off gases that mix with water and ultimately this causes problems with water pollution. Run-off from agricultural operations can potentially release fertiliser into water sources, which contain harmful chemicals.
2. Hard water contains minerals such as calcium and magnesium. These minerals impair its quality, as calcium may cause soap scum to form in bathrooms, as well as leaving behind deposits known as limescale.
3. Hard water may also give a lower quality taste due to the fact that there are low levels of chlorine present.

Question 2

What are the 2 spatial variability problems associated with water supply in HICs?

Answer 2

1. The population and the rainfall of the UK are unevenly distributed. 1/3 of the UK’s [population lives in the south-east, but this is also the driest part of the UK with average annual rainfall of less than 800 mm.
2. The least populated areas of the UK are in the mountain areas of Scotland, Wales and north-west England, but it is here that the most rain falls; over 2,000 mm.

Question 3

What are the 2 season variability problems associated with water supply in HICs?

Answer 3

1. There is a problem with the seasonal supply of water in many of the Mediterranean holiday areas.
2. Murcia, in southern Spain, has undergone a resort building boom that caused problems in 2008. Farmers were fighting developers over water rights because their crops were short of water. They were buying and selling water like gold on a rapidly growing black market, mostly from illegal wells.

Question 4

What are the 3 leakage problems associated with water supply in HICs?

Answer 4

1. In London, more than ½ of the water mains are more than 100 years old, and around 1/3 are over 150. This has led to 30% of the water supply being lost through leaks and cracks.
2. In 2006, more than 3.5 billion litres of water were lost daily through broken and leaking pipes in England and Wales.
3. The water that leaks daily through broken pipes is a loss to the economy of between £1,512,000 and £3,600,000 because this is how much it will cost to retreat the water to make it drinkable.

Question 5

What are the 2 clean piped water problems associated with water supply in LICs?

Answer 5

1. The greatest problem in LICs is the high proportion of the population that doesn’t have access to clean piped water.
2. 1 billion people in LICs do not have access to safe water. This is roughly 1/6 of the world’s population.

Question 6

What are the 4 water-related disease problems associated with water supply in LICs?

Answer 6

1. Intestinal worms infect about 10% of the population of LICs. Parasites that infect the intestine can lead to malnutrition, anaemia and stunted growth.
2. 1.8 million children die every year as a result of diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation. This amounts to 5,000 deaths a day.
3. At any given time, almost ½ of the population of LICs is suffering from one or more of the main diseases associated with inadequate provision of water and sanitation.
4. Dirty contaminated water is responsible for a range of health problems including dysentery, malaria, bilharzia and trachoma.

Question 7

What are the 2 pollution problems associated with water supply in LICs?

Answer 7

1. Many of the indigenous tribes in the Amazon region have suffered from water contamination due to mining operations and oil exploitation.
2. Unlined waste pits provide a major source of pollution in the Oriente region of Ecuador. Since there are no other options for obtaining water, local people now depend on these contaminated sources for drinking water. Thousands of people are slowly poisoning themselves as they drink the water and wash and bathe in local streams. This has lead to increased risks of cancer, miscarriage, dermatitis, fungal infection, headaches and nausea. Childhood leukaemia rates are four times higher in this area than in other parts of Ecuador; children as young as a few months have died of leukaemia.