Case
Year 1 & 2 Geography Human and Physical Case Studies (CIE)
- Module
- Unit 1 - Core Geography
- Institution
- CIE
Descriptive document of 1-4 case studies for each module of CIE A level Geography. Use of up to date examples and evidence.
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A-Level Geography case studydocument
, 1.0 hydrology
River Regime = River Nile
• Large dispute between Ethiopia and Egypt due to the giant hydropower project.
• When complete, the Grand Renaissance Dam, which Ethiopia is building, will be Africa's biggest hydroelectric
power plant.
Construction began in 2011 on the Blue Nile tributary in the northern Ethiopia highlands, from where 85% of the
Nile's waters flow.
However, the mega dam has caused a row between Egypt and Ethiopia, with Sudan caught in between, which some
fear could lead to war, and the US is now helping to mediate.
The dam will also help provide more water upstream, where this can be used for greater irrigation
River Nile Dam: Grand Renaissance Dam and Aswan Dam
• Helps generate lots of electricity to Ethiopia and national sovereignty
What is the issue of this dam:
• Egypt fears that Ethiopia will be able to control the flow of Africa's longest river.
• Due to hydroelectric power stations control the speed of reservoirs being filled -> therefore directly
correlating to downstream water supply
• However, the Aswan Dam helps regulate the water flow where it helps prevent any major flooding in the
surrounding areas
• Large political debate where some scared this could turn into a war -> USA has stepped in to help calm the
situation down
History of the river Nile:
• Treaty gave Egypt and Sudan rights to nearly all of the Nile
• Egypt was also given powers over any projects upstream
,Impact of a storm in the UK: flooding in a HICs
Storm Denis
Impacts:
Social Economic Environmental
• Many properties were • Many businesses were affected, 1. Many rivers reached peak flow, where
flooded, +1600 homes due to loss of power or flooding - this caused greater riverbank erosion.
flooded > people couldn’t gain their • River tore loose
income • Trees were carried away
• 7 fatalities • Many ecosystems/ and
▪ Roads, rails and air travellers habitats lost
• Many people were left faced disruptions.
without power, 17000 • Many train companies • Landslides occurred due to the
people left without were affected weakness in the rocks and soils —>
power • Lots of aeroplanes were very little friction, with little
unable to fly losing a lot vegetation binding soils together
• Many people lost of money
livestock • Destructive waves were formed on
▪ Long term impact of rebuilding is the coast due to the large winds
• Cars, vans and transport very expensive where many lost (many beaches and areas around
were all destroyed their only income were impacted)
• Some people left • Ground becomes very saturated
homeless due to no therefore at greater risks of further
money/ or flooding
accommodation
Dependent on the type water; salt
• Many people have been water has the greatest impact on the
left vulnerable to higher crops – more long term damage
risks
• 5 people were killed
Preventions:
1. The Environment Agency says its flood defences – both permanent and temporary measures – are working.
It says that as many as 20,000 properties have been protected from storms Ciara and Dennis due to these
measures.
2. More and more homes each year are being protected
• Between 2019 - 2021 a further 341,875 homes were being protected from floods and coastal erosion
(increase from 150,000 in 2015 - 2018)
3. Housing developments should be kept off flood plains to reduce risk of flooding
• Planting more trees, increasing “leaky dams” and greater water storage facilities
• Slows the flow of water downstream, reducing the risk
5. Met Office’s £1.2bn supercomputer may help greater/ better predictions in areas of greatest risk of flooding
, Impact of a storm in Bangladesh: flooding in a LICs
Key Factors
- within the next 30 years up to 20% of
Bangladesh will disappear beneath water as
river and sea levels rise
- small, flat low-lying country
- tides affect 1/3 of land area
- High population density and low HDI
- High dependency on agriculture
Causes of the flooding
- Physical
- cyclones caused coastal flooding
- lots of low-lying land 80% is floodplain
- melted water from the Himalayas and water from upstream catchments
- Heavy monsoon rains enhanced by drainage congestion
- Is located on the Brahmaputra River Delta (Ganges delta) and part of this basin is less than 5 metres above
sea level
- Human
- heavy deforestation
- increasing urbanisation
- building of dams in India
- global warming
Impacts
Social Economic Enviromental
• Killed over 1,000 people • The main highway • 2.2 million acres of
• 20.5 million displaced connecting Dhaka to the damaged crop land
• Large outbreak of cholera rest of the country was • $290 million crops were
around the cities (10,000 flooded damaged
people had caught it) • 30,000km of roads
• Little clean drinking water destroyed However, this river flooding flushed
down lots of nutrients to the crops
which had a long term benefit
Evaluation of attempts to reduce the impact of the flood ]
• Many houses and roads ae built on raised platforms
• People cultivate different types of rice
• Flood Action Plan 1989-95
• 10000km of levees and a number of raised flood and cyclone shelters
• Groynes in rivers
• 5 day warnings from the Flood Forecasting Warning Centre
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