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4.2 Access to Freshwater - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Evaluation
        
        Does not affect water level in rivers
        
        Energy intensive
        
        Expensive and do not offer solution for poorest countries
        
        Salt returned to ocean as waste which can be harmful to local marine ecosystem
        
        Intake pipe vacuum up large quantities of plankton and other microbial organisms that make up the base later of marine food chain
      - RLE
        
        Saudi Arabia
        
        Process:
        
        Seawater is pumped from Arabian Gulf or Red Sea
        
        Seawater passes through filters to remove impurities and is treated to prevent membrane change
        
        Water is pressurised to force it though reverse osmosis process
        
        Membrane allows only water molecules to pass, producing two streams, freshwater (purified water) and brine (concentrated saltwater)
        
        Minerals are added to freshwater to make it drinkable
        
        brine returned to the sea
        
        Advantages
        
        Improve water security
        
        Reduced pressure on natural resources
        
        Overcoming water shortages
        
        Disadvantages
        
        Consume large amount of energy
        
        High costs to build and operate
        
        High environmental impact
  - - - RLE
        
        Colorado River System
        
        Process
        
        Divided the river's flow between upper basin (Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico) to lower basin(Cali, Arizona, Nevada)
        
        Large dams store water to ensure reliable supply
        
        Advantages
        
        Address water scarcity by having consistent supply to regions of droughts
        
        Supports Agriculture and food security
        
        Disadvantages
        
        High cost
        
        Overreliance of external water sources
  - - - Process
        
        Surface Spreading
        
        Spreading water on a large area, increasing percolation in water
        
        Injection Wells
        
        Used when surface spreading is limited
        
        Rehcarge pits
        
        ASR
      - RLE
        
        Amsterdamn water supply dunes
        
        Advantages
        
        High quality drinking water
        
        Prevent land subsidence
        
        sustainable groundwater management
        
        Disadvantages
        
        High cost
        
        Contamination
        
        Seawater intrusion
- - - - Drinking
      - Washing
      - Cooking
    - - Irrigation
      - Livestock
    - - Manufacturing
      - Mining
  - - - Middle East and North Africa (MENA): The MENA region is one of the most water-scarce areas globally due to its arid climate. Countries like Saudi Arabia and Egypt face severe water scarcity and rely heavily on desalination to meet their water needs.
      - California, USA: The western United States, especially California, regularly experiences droughts, impacting water availability for agriculture and urban areas. California’s reliance on imported water and aquifers contributes to unequal water access across the state.
    - - Flint, Michigan, USA: In 2014, to cut costs, the city of Flint switched its water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River. This resulted in lead contamination, exposing thousands to toxic drinking water, especially affecting low-income and marginalized communities who couldn’t afford alternative sources.
      - Sub-Saharan Africa: Many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa lack the infrastructure for reliable water delivery. In countries like Ethiopia and Uganda, people in rural areas often walk long distances to collect water from rivers and ponds, which may be contaminated.
    - - Mexico City, Mexico: Mexico City’s population growth has placed enormous pressure on its water supply. Rapid urbanization, inadequate infrastructure, and over-extraction from the aquifer have led to frequent water shortages, impacting poorer neighborhoods disproportionately.
      - Cairo, Egypt: Egypt’s capital, Cairo, experiences water shortages as the city’s infrastructure struggles to keep up with the growing population. This issue is exacerbated by Egypt’s dependence on the Nile River, which is increasingly strained by competing demands.
    - - Cape Town, South Africa: In 2018, Cape Town came close to "Day Zero," a day when the city was expected to run out of water due to prolonged drought and rising demand. Climate change and inadequate rainfall patterns intensified the crisis, impacting residents and industries alike.
  - - - People living in urban areas are more likely to be connected with piped water
    - - Those with wealth are most likely to have a reliable water supply
    - - Flint, Michigan, USA
      - Issue: In 2014, Flint, Michigan, a predominantly low-income and African American community, switched its water source to the Flint River to cut costs. Due to improper water treatment, lead from aging pipes leached into the water supply, causing widespread lead contamination.
      - Impact on Social Groups: Flint residents, many of whom were from low-income backgrounds, faced prolonged exposure to toxic water while state officials delayed action. Meanwhile, neighboring wealthier communities did not experience the same contamination, highlighting a disparity in water quality and government response based on socioeconomic status.
- - - - How is Nile shared?
        The Nile River is one of the longest rivers in the world, flowing through 11 countries
        (Egypt, Burundi, Tanzania, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia & South Sudan)
        How many people rely on it?
        The Nile Basin countries have a total population of over 450 million people.
        According to UN estimates, the population of the Nile River region is expected to double by 2050, putting more demand on water use.
        
        History
        The Nile basin countries were colonised by different European powers, resulting in various agreements and treaties favouring certain countries.
        The 1929 and 1959 Nile Waters Agreements between Egypt and Sudan granted them a very large share of the Nile's waters, while upstream countries were marginalised.
        Egypt’s ‘historic rights’ to the Nile resulted in over-dependency on the river. The Nile accounts for 97% of Egypt’s water needs.
        
        The conflict?
        GERD (Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam)
        In 2011, Ethiopia began building GERD to utilise the Nile's waters for hydropower and irrigation.
        Ethiopia wants the dam to produce electricity for the 60% of its population who currently have no electricity supply.
        It could also provide electricity for neighbouring countries including Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, Djibouti and Eritrea.
        
        Reaction?
        As downstream countries, Egypt and Sudan are concerned about the dam's effect.
        If Ethiopia were to alter the flow of the Nile significantly, Egyptian farmers could face severe water shortages, leading to decreased agricultural output and increased food prices.
        
        Further threats to Nile
        Climate change, salinization, land degradation:
        Rising sea levels are prompting saltwater intrusions that are not only affecting water supply but also spoiling agricultural farmland, according to water management experts.
        Population growth:
        Egypt's population of 109 million is projected to grow significantly in decades, further straining the demand for water in the region.
        Low seasonal rainfall (already low bcs in desert region, but lower due to climate change)
        
        more details about the treaties (just to understand better)
        1929: Treaty between Egypt and Britain’s East African colonies
        (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda)
        
        Awarded 57% of the waters to Egypt
        
        Egypt reserves the right to monitor the Nile flow in the upstream countries
        
        Egypt reserves the right to reject any construction projects that could harm its interests.
        
        1959: Egypt and Sudan signed the Nile Water Agreement
        
        Egypt was allocated three-quarters of the total water volume (55.5 billion cubic metres)
        
        Sudan one-quarter (15.5 billion cubic metres).
        
        Granted Egypt the right to construct the Aswan High Dam
        
        Granted Sudan to construct the Rosaries Dam
        
        Ethiopia later criticised these agreements arguing that they were enforced while the other Nile Basin countries were still colonised and therefore didn’t give them the legitimacy and chance to present their cases.
- - - - 🔗image source
      - Delta has undergone rapid urbanisation (account 10% of China's GDP)
        Rapid growth = environmental degradation
      - Cities are rich enough to treat the water but they do not allow farmers to use the treated water, so people are forced to drink the polluted water. Those who do fall sick.
      - Polluted water is killing crops in the Pearl River Delta