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Water

Water surplus and deficit, and why demand is rising

  • 3 things to know
  • Paper 2 section C

Overview

Water security, surplus and deficit and their global pattern, why consumption rises with development and population, and how climate, geology, pollution, over-abstraction, limited infrastructure and poverty affect availability.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

Why does the amount of water the world uses keep climbing?

Key term

What is meant by water security?

Key term

When is an area said to have a water surplus?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What is meant by water security?

    Model answer

    A country or region has enough clean, safe water to meet the needs of its people, farming and industry, both now and in the future.

  2. 2

    When is an area said to have a water surplus?

    Model answer

    When the supply of water available to it is greater than the amount its people, farms and industries demand.

  3. 3

    What does it mean for a region to be in water deficit?

    Model answer

    Its demand for water is greater than the supply available to it, so some needs go unmet and it is water insecure.

  4. 4

    Which parts of the world tend to have the largest water surpluses?

    Model answer

    Wet equatorial and temperate regions such as northern South America, Central Africa, northern Europe and Canada, where heavy or reliable rainfall meets a fairly small demand.

  5. 5

    Which parts of the world tend to have the deepest water deficits?

    Model answer

    Dry subtropical belts such as North Africa, the Middle East, western Asia and inland Australia, and any densely populated or heavily irrigated region such as northern India and the western United States.

  6. 6

    Why can a wet country still suffer shortages in places?

    Model answer

    Because rainfall is spread unevenly through the country and through the year, so a region or a season can fall into deficit while the national total looks comfortable.

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