Water footprint: the total volume of water consumed and polluted by
people. It is calculated by adding the direct and indirect water use of people.
Stats: 1 A4 piece of paper uses 10 litres of water.
Polyester jacket uses 18000 litres of water to make!
The global consumption of water has been rising over time. Two main
reasons for this are:
• Increasing population: more people using water for drinking, hygiene,
cooking and cleaning.
• Economic development: the water footprint of HICs is much higher than
LICs. As more countries develop, the global demands for water will
increase.
• The consumption of water varies within, as well as between, countries.
People living in urban areas are more likely to have safe, piped water than
those living in rural areas in countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• The water used to produce food or goods that we purchase is known as
embedded water. For example, to produce 1kg of beef, 15,000 litres of
water is needed (the water is used to grow grass and give drinking water to
the cows).
Water security: when the population of a country has sustainable access to
adequate quantities of clean water
, Water security is when:
1. People have enough safe and affordable water to stay healthy
2. There is sufficient water for agriculture and industry
3. The supply is sustainable and ecosystems that supply water are
conserved
4. People are protected from water-related hazards such as drought
Economic water scarcity is when water is available, but for some reason it
is inaccessible or unusable. This might be because it is groundwater that is
expensive to extract or if the supply has become polluted.
Physical water scarcity is when there is not enough water available. The
most common reason for this is low precipitation rates.
Reasons for increasing water demands:
Population growth More people washing, drinking and cooking using
water. Greater demand for goods which use water to
make and food which uses water.
Agricultural change In richer countries, irrigation is often mechanised with
sprinklers using a huge amount of water. Hydroponic
systems also use lots of water
Industrial growth In richer countries, this is often on a large scale with
industries such as steel using huge amounts of water.
Poorer countries generally have smaller scale
industries which use less water.
Growth of consumerism More facilities which use water, for example showers,
dishwashers and washing machines. Leisure industry
also uses loads of water such as swimming pools and
spas. More demand for manufactured goods which
uses water to produce.
Are water resources being managed sustainably?
Water stress: when the demand for water exceeds the available supply or
when poor quality of water restricts its use.
As populations increase and countries develop, the number of places
suffering from water stress is likely to increase.
Strategies to maintain water supply and reduce water stress:
Building dams and reservoirs This provides large supplies of water
all year round
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