Sustainable Water Contrast
The same scarce water, but very different problems and answers. Contrast UK water problems with those of developing countries, weigh the stakeholders and desalination, and compare high-tech Singapore with low-tech rainwater harvesting in rural India.
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A shared problem, different answers 🌍
Fresh water is scarce and unevenly spread, so almost every country must manage its supply. But the **problems** they face, and the **answers** they can afford, are very different. This module contrasts **UK** water problems with those of **developing** countries, weighs up **stakeholders** and **desalination**, and compares how **Singapore** and rural **India** make their water last.
The language of water management 🔑
Four ideas run through this module:
Two kinds of problem ⚖️
UK and developing-country water problems are not the same category of problem.
Whose problem is this? 🚰
Which of these is mainly a UK water problem, rather than a typical developing-country one?
- Ageing, leaking infrastructure and a supply-demand imbalance
- No access to any safe drinking water
- Rivers heavily polluted by untreated sewage
- Frequent severe drought and very low rainfall
Match the stakeholder to its view 🔗
- Farmers
- Water companies
- Domestic consumers
- Environmental groups
- Want plentiful, cheap water to irrigate their crops
- Want to invest in supply and fix leaks while making a profit
- Want clean, reliable tap water at a low price
- Want rivers and wetlands protected from over-abstraction
Developing-country problems ✅
Select the TWO problems that are typical of emerging or developing countries.
- Lack of access to safe, clean water
- Water sources polluted by sewage and industry
- Ageing Victorian pipes that leak
- Moving water from a wet north to a dry south-east
Desalination: a costly answer 🏭
One high-tech answer to shortage is **desalination**: removing the salt from **seawater** to make fresh water. It works well for dry coastal places, and Singapore uses it. But desalination is **expensive** and very **energy-intensive**, and disposing of the leftover salty brine can harm the sea. It is a powerful technology, not a cheap fix.
The contrast in words 🧩
UK water problems are mainly about ageing _____ and a supply-demand _____, while many developing countries lack _____ to safe water. A high-tech response is _____, which removes salt from seawater. A low-tech response is rainwater _____, used in the Wakel River Basin.
How rainwater harvesting works 🪜
An interactive activity.
Singapore and the Wakel River Basin 🌏
Two places tackle water shortage in very different ways, one high-tech and costly, the other low-tech and local.
Whose approach is this? 💧
Which describes Singapore's high-tech approach to water?
- Recycling treated wastewater into ultra-clean NEWater, plus desalination
- Building earth check-dams to store monsoon rain
- Simply using less water each year and nothing else
- Importing all of its water in bottles
Spot the true statements 🖍️
An interactive activity.
Advise on a shortage 🧭
An interactive activity.
Contrast the approaches ✍️
An interactive activity.