GEOGRAPHY O LEVEL(FORM TWO) NOTES – WATER MANAGEMENT FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

WATER MANAGEMENT FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Definition

Water

Is a colourless, odorless and tasteless liquid found naturally on land surface, atmosphere and water ground reservoirs, and essential for most plant and animal life.

Water management

Refers to the skillful and careful use and control of water and water resources. It is the management of water resources under set policies and regulations. Water should be managed since it is becoming a more valuable commodity due to droughts and over uses.

Sources of water

Rainfall
Well
Springs
Lakes
Seas/ oceans

Economic uses and importance of water.

Water is used for domestic purposes
Water is used for agriculture development [irrigation]
Water is used as a source of hydro-electric power
Water is used for industrial development
Water encourages the development of the fishing industry
It encourages the development of the tourist industry
Water is used for navigation i.e. it stimulates the development of transport and communication
Water influences weather activities i.e. rain formation
Water provides habitat for various living organisms

Relationship between family size, water supply and quality of life.
– There is a very close relationship between quality of life and water. An adequate and reliable water supply greatly improves the quality life of people. This is because they do not have to spend most of their time, income and effort searching for water. Availability of water means that family members are easily able to cook , clean themselves and do other family chores.

– Also the family size determines how much water is needed at a given time and how frequently available it should be. The larger the family the larger the amount of water, the smaller the family the lower consumption of water.

– Where the water is not piped and frequently supplied for example in rural areas, family members especially girls and women spend most of their time and effort looking for water. In some other communities, girls are not allowed to go to school since they are required to fetch water and ensure that it is available for the whole family.

– In case of a smaller family, they are able to use stored water over a long period in case the frequency of water supply is low. Therefore, under conditions of low water supply, a small family is more likely to experience water shortage problem than a large family.

Relationship between Vegetation and water supply.

– Vegetation play a very crucial role in ensuring a continuous water supply. Presence of places with dense forests and other forms of vegetation act as water catchments. This means that they retain water by preventing it from easily washing away or rapidly evaporating.

– Places with abundant vegetation therefore have higher chances of experiencing a reliable water supply than places that have little or no vegetation. Indeed, the lack of vegetation may lead to desertification and consequently very little or no water availability.

– It is also important to note that vegetation cannot exist if there is lack of water. Even desert vegetation requires water, though in small amounts for it to exist. The more available water is the denser and healthier the vegetation will be. Where there is little water available the vegetation is sparse.

– Vegetation and water supply are therefore highly related and dependent on each other.

How long distance to water sources affects the girl child.

– In rural areas, family members especially girls and women spend most of their time looking for water. In Tanzania, most rural communities the task of fetching water is placed on women and girls.
It is the girls who have to do this as the women are engaged in other domestic duties or family chores such as taking care of babies and cooking.

The distance between the home and the water source affects the girl child in the following ways;-

(i) When the distance is long, it means that the girls have to walk the long distance to fetch the water. By walking the long distance they get tired, they may get attacked/molested along the way and in some cases, there is a little time left for activity such as learning or playing. For those who are lucky to go to school, they tend to be too tired to pay much attention in class hence, poor performance. But for those who are not lucky enough to go to school are condemned illiteracy.
All of these may turn into early marriages or teenage pregnancies and some of them tend to experience psychological problems in their childhood as well as in their adulthood due to lack of time to play, robs them of a happy and balance childhood.

(ii) On the other hand, if the distance from the home to the water source is short, then the girls spend less time in fetching water and hence they have more time to play and to go to school, thus they will be able to pay attention in the class and do well in their studies.

(iii) In addition, children who are consistently exposed to hazardous, unportable water or exposed to pumps or water source that have been contaminated by water-bone bacteria, contracting diseases such as cholera and they are often affected by life threatening diarrhea from parasites in unclean water.

PROBLEMS CAUSED BY WATER

i) Water causes floods

ii) Water provides habitat of dangerous animals

iii) Polluted water is a source of water born diseases

iv) Flowing water causes soil erosion

v) Large water bodies may cause barrier for communication.

HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE [WATER CYCLE]

Is the continuous circulation of water between the atmosphere and biosphere and lithosphere

It is brought about by the processes of evaporation, condensation, infiltration percolation, surface run off etc

THE WATER CYCLE

WATER POLLUTION

Is the addition of unwanted substances in the water

It can be defined as addition of pollutants to water making it unsafe for use by organisms and people

It is said to be polluted if it contains much organic and inorganic wastes

Causes of water pollution

Water may be polluted by;

1) Industrial wastes including chemicals and metal materials, some of these chemicals are toxic.

2) Sewage or effluent and other wastes from residential areas which are dumped in water sources.

3) Oil spills from tanks and pipelines.

4) The use of pesticides and insecticides in agriculture.

5) Fishing activities that involves the use of dynamite and other chemicals which lead to the pollution of water.

6) Debris and other materials found on construction sites get into water sources and cause water pollution.

7) Bomb tests in the major water bodies can lead to the spread of chemicals, hence water pollution.

EFFECTS OF WATER POLLUTION

1) Polluted water causes death of aquatic organisms i.e. uniform layer which prevents oxygen from penetrating into deeper layer of water which causes damage of marine life.

2) Polluted water is a source of water borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid etc.

3) Polluted water can cause decline of the fishing industry.

4) Polluted water can discourage irrigation since some of the pollutants can kill plants.

5) Polluted water emits bad smells as a result of decomposition of waste in the water bodies.

6) Shortage of clean water for domestic uses.

7) Polluted of clean water can cause land pollution when poured on it.

MEASURES TO CONTROL WATER POLLUTION OR WATER CONSERVATION MEASURES

i) Fishing by using chemicals should be prohibited

ii) Much attention should be paid to all oil containers and pipe lines and other transportation systems so as to avoid contamination through spillage

iii) Discourage settlement in catchment areas

iv) Population control so as to avoid / reduce wastes production dumplings in the water bodies

v) Use of fertilizers and chemical in farming should be cut down as much as possible to avoid contamination through surface run off

vi) Wastes should be properly disposed of by burning or burying

vii) Sewage disposal centers should be located far from water sources

viii) Wastes should be recycled for example iron and steel materials, papers boards

ix) Avoiding mining activities near water bodies

x) Encourage the use of good fishing methods

REASONS FOR WATER CONSERVATION

i) To ensure constant supply of water [clear and safe] so as to prevent the outbreak of diseases such as cholera and typhoid

ii) To simplify or ease the work of the women and girls of fetching water far from their home stead

iii) To ensure development by facilitating environmental conservation

FACTORS THAT HINDER WATER CONSERVATION PROCESS

i) Lack of enough education

ii) Lack of enough technology for recycling of liquid wastes

iii) Rapid population growth makes management difficult and expensive

iv) Poverty

People lack money for construction of good sewage systems buying trucks for the collection of wastes etc

v) Low priority given to the problem of waste management by the authority

vi) Irresponsibility of the concerned people

TAPPING WATER FOR ELECTRIC POWER GENERATION
Water plays an important role in the development of hydro electric power generation Hydro electricity is the form of electricity produced by power of falling water i.e.

Streams.
Glaciers.
Natural water falls.
Man made lakes.

The main rivers of Africa which have tremendous head of water important for power development are Nile, the Niger, Zaire, Zambezi Limpopo and the Orange river. It is estimated that African rivers can supply 23% of potential worlds HEP. Hydro turbines are used to produce hydro electric power.

HYDRO ELECTRIC POWER (HEP) GENERATION

How to set up hydro electric power generation center

1) A reservoir or dam is constructed normally across a river or along a coastal strip where tidal waves are common to make water to fall through a large pipe called pen stock.

2) A power house is constructed and turbines installed.

3) Water is then drilled to the turbine chamber where by its presence cause rotation of the turbines. As the turbine rotate the generator also rotates to produce electric power.

4) The power produced is then transported to the transformer.

NECESSARY CONDITIONS/REQUIREMENTS FOR HARVESTING HEP

1) The presence of the source of water

2) Steep gradient or slope so as water can run off or fall

3) Presence of enough skilled labor for construction of dam and running of the project

4) Availability of market for both domestic and industrial use.

PROBLEMS OF HARVESTING/LIMITING OF HEP IN AFRICA OR TANZANIA

1) Lack of capital for construction of dams and installing the power plant

2) Lack of appropriate technology

3) River regime, variation of volume of water in the water bodies

4) Sitting of the reservoirs or dams due to sedimentation

5) Theft of power lines and transformer oils

6) Lack of good transport facilities especially in remote power plant

IMPORTANCE OF HEP

1) It stimulates the development of economic sectors such as mining industry.

2) It encourages environmental conservation by reducing dependence on forests as a source of power.

3) It promotes living standard.

4) It is a source of national income.

5) It facilitates the growth of science and technology.

SUSTAINABLE USE OF WATER RESOURCES
Types of underground water
Water is found both at the surface of the earth and underground. Underground water, also called ground water or subterranean water, is water that is found below the surface of the Earth. These are the main types of underground water.

(a) Connate water It mainly also be referred to as fossils water. This trapped in the pores of rocks during the formation of the rock. The chemical composition of the water changes with the changes that the rock is undergo. Most of connate water is saline.

(b) Meteoric water This refers to underground water which originates from rainfall and other forms of precipitation such as hailstorms and snowfall. It is a result of precipitation water seeping into the ground.

(c) Juvenile water It is also referred to as magnetic water. This is water that is brought closer to the Earth’s surface due to volcanic activities. It usually has high mineral content.

(d) Oceanic water This is underground water that results from seepage of ocean water into the ground. It is most common in coastal areas where ocean water seeps horizontally into the ground from the ocean.

TAPPING UNDERGROUND WATER SOURCES

Under ground water is water which is found in the ground. It is also called subterranean water.

It is found in layers of sediments or rocks which are highly permeable contain water, those rocks are called AQUIFER.