Water Supply Problems in HICs (High Industrialised Countries) & LICs (Low Industrialised Countries)

Water Supply Problems in HICs (High Industrialised Countries)

Remember the acronym  - QUICK! STOP! SCARY LIONS!

Q uality

- Factories give off pollutants (e.g.gases) that mix with the water.

- Run off from agriculture can release fertiliser into the water

- Hard Water contains minerals (e.g. calcium, magnesium) and low levels of chlorine, that may make the water taste bad, and lime scale deposits can also form.

S patial Variablilty

- When the population and rainfall are unevenly distributed.

- In the UK, 1/3 of the population live in the South East, while the majority of rainfall falls in the North West. This means that water has to pumped across the country, resulting in Loss through broken pipes (Lions!) and takes time and money.

S easonal Variability

- There is a problem with seasonal water supply in many Mediterranean holiday areas; the demand for water is highest when there is the least rainfall.

- Costa del Sol in Spain has a high demand for water in the summer, for tourist features such as pools and golf courses. As a result, 6 reservoirs and a desalination plant (where the salt is taken from seawater) have been developed - the plant produces  20 million cubic cm of fresh water per year, from sea water.

Loss through broken pipes

- In London,…