Social Sciences - Water Mind map 2

The journey of water

  1. Rain falls to the earth - precipitation
  1. People build dams on rivers. Dams store millions of litres of water
  1. The water treatment plant / centre cleans the water from dams
  1. The reservoir stores the clean water. usually has a roof to stop it getting dirty again
  1. Special pumps at the pumping station push the water through underground pipes
  1. Water reaches the people trough these underground pipes out the taps

Storing Water

  1. Dams

People build on rivers to store the water

Mountain - river source

Sluice gates

  1. Reservoirs or water tanks

Rainwater

Groundwater - pumped up from the ground

Big storage tanks

Pollution and Water Waste

Water Pollution = is when waste, chemicals or other particles cause a body of water (i.e. rivers, oceans & lakes) to become harmful to the fish and animals that need water to survive. Water pollution can disrupt or negatively impact nature's water cycle as well.

Farms

Fertilisers

pesticides

Sewage

Factories

Chemicals

Waste water

Construction sites

Silt

People

Litter

Recycling

Waste water = dirty water

Waste water - dirty water - is taken from our bathrooms to sewers. Pipes called sewers take the waste water away from the settlements. the sewers take the waste water to the sewage works. Water is then cleaned here. It then goes back to the rivers. We can then take this water and purify it and re-use it. the process of cleaning water and using it again is called recycling.

Water Conservation save water

Ways to save water

Teach people about the importance of water

Fix water leaks immediately including taps that drip

Install water saving devices on taps and toilets

Do not wash dishes with water running constantly

Shower rather than bath

Direct rain water to garden beds and lawns

Ways to protect the quality of water

Do not litter in water or the ground

Grow plants on bare area's to prevent soil draining away to rivers and dams

Store and dispose of household chemicals properly

Use fertiliser sparingly and avoid harmful pesticides

Never pour anything other than water down the drains