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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Free and interactive, so you are arguing with the material rather than rereading it.
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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
In the Wakel River Basin, low-tech rainwater harvesting stores the monsoon rain. Put the steps into order.
- Build a johad, an earth check-dam, across a gentle slope
- Rain collects behind the dam during the monsoon
- The water soaks in and recharges the wells and groundwater
- Villagers draw on the stored water through the dry season
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
UK water, and the fixes
Tap the TWO statements that are TRUE about the water contrast.
- UK water problems are more about ageing infrastructure than lack of access.
- Desalination is a cheap, low-energy way to make fresh water.
- The Wakel River Basin uses low-tech, community-led rainwater harvesting.
- Singapore relies mainly on importing bottled water.
- UK and developing-country water problems are exactly the same.
Advise on a shortage
You advise two very different regions facing water shortage. Recommend a suitable, sustainable answer for each.
- A wealthy, dry coastal city can afford large infrastructure. What suits it best?
- A poor rural area with a monsoon season and little money. What suits it best?
- Farmers, water companies and environmental groups all disagree. What should a good plan do?
Contrast the approaches
Contrast how a developed country and an emerging or developing country manage water sustainably. Use Singapore and the Wakel River Basin, and write in full sentences.
- Explain one water problem faced by a developed country such as the UK or Singapore
- Explain one water problem faced by an emerging or developing country
- Describe Singapore's high-tech approach to making its water last
- Describe the low-tech approach used in the Wakel River Basin