Water Security (AQA A Level Geography)

A desalination plant built using EU funding following an Environmental Impact Assessment.

A government policy to order water companies to fit compulsory meters to all homes.

A water transfer scheme to move water from areas of water surplus to areas of water deficit.

Water below the ground stored in aquifers to be pumped to the surface when it falls below the water table.

The movement of water from one country to another via a pipeline in order to produce goods designed for export.

The agreement between two or more countries involved in manufacturing and the subsequent trade in desalinisation plants.

The hidden water volume involved in the full production process of a product destined for export.

The source of the water used in the import and export of goods such as agricultural products.

In 2015 Islamic State militants fighting in Iraq and Syria shut off and redirected water flows below the Ramadi Dam to enable the militants to cross the Euphrates. As a result, there are water shortages for hundreds of kilometres downstream, affecting thousands of people.

In 2016, in the Peruvian town of Ocucaje, farmers set fire to plastic water pipes. These pipes were installed by a company that was diverting water 12 km from water wells in Ocucaje to irrigate grapes for export.

In 2014 Russia took control of the region of Crimea from Ukraine. Russia accused Ukraine of cutting off the water supply in the North Crimea Canal. This led to water shortages for Crimea’s farmers who grew maize, rice and grapes.

In 2011, the Ethiopian government announced plans to build the ‘Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam’, a $4.1 billion hydroelectric dam on the Blue Nile near the border with Sudan. The potential impact on water supplies, particularly downriver, is a grave concern in Egypt.