AQA GCSE Geography · 3.2.3

Water

50 revision questions with answers for 3.2.3 Water in AQA GCSE Geography (spec 8035). Practise with flashcards, a topic quiz, a random quiz across the course, 5 crosswords, or read every question and answer below. Not official AQA material.

All 50 questions and answers

Question 1 · Spec 3.2.3.3
What is water security and water insecurity?
Answer:
Water security means reliable access to enough clean water for drinking, sanitation, farming and industry. Water insecurity (deficit) means demand exceeds the available supply.
Question 2 · Spec 3.2.3.3
Where are the world's areas of water surplus?
Answer:
Wet regions with low population or high rainfall such as Canada, Russia, Scandinavia, the Amazon basin and parts of South-East Asia, plus well-supplied HICs.
Question 3 · Spec 3.2.3.3
Where are the world's areas of water deficit?
Answer:
The Middle East and North Africa, Central Asia, parts of India and China, south-west USA, Australia and sub-Saharan Africa, where rainfall is low or demand is high.
Question 4 · Spec 3.2.3.3
What is the difference between physical and economic water scarcity?
Answer:
Physical scarcity means there is not enough water (dry climates). Economic scarcity means water exists but people lack the money or infrastructure to use it, as in much of sub-Saharan Africa.
Question 5 · Spec 3.2.3.3
How is water stress measured?
Answer:
By the amount of water per person per year. Below 1,700 cubic metres is water stress, below 1,000 is scarcity and below 500 is absolute scarcity.
Question 6 · Spec 3.2.3.3
Why is global water consumption increasing because of population growth?
Answer:
More people need water for drinking, washing, food production and sanitation, and population is growing fastest in dry regions.
Question 7 · Spec 3.2.3.3
Why is global water consumption increasing because of economic development?
Answer:
As incomes rise, people use more water in homes (showers, appliances), eat more water-intensive food, and industry and energy production expand.
Question 8 · Spec 3.2.3.3
Which sector uses most of the world's fresh water?
Answer:
Agriculture uses around 70% for irrigation and livestock, industry about 20% and households about 10%.
Question 9 · Spec 3.2.3.3
How does climate affect water availability?
Answer:
Dry or seasonal climates and droughts reduce supply, while heavy rainfall in wet regions gives surplus. Climate change makes rainfall less reliable.
Question 10 · Spec 3.2.3.3
How does geology affect water availability?
Answer:
Permeable rocks such as chalk and sandstone store water in aquifers, while impermeable rocks such as granite or clay do not, so wells and springs are few.
Question 11 · Spec 3.2.3.3
How does pollution affect water availability?
Answer:
Untreated sewage, industrial waste and farm chemicals make water unsafe to use, which reduces the supply that is available.
Question 12 · Spec 3.2.3.3
What is over-abstraction?
Answer:
Taking water from rivers or aquifers faster than it is replaced, causing rivers to dry up and water tables to fall, as with the Aral Sea.
Question 13 · Spec 3.2.3.3
How does limited infrastructure affect water availability?
Answer:
Without pipes, pumps, wells and treatment plants, water cannot be collected, stored and distributed, even when it exists nearby.
Question 14 · Spec 3.2.3.3
How does poverty affect water availability?
Answer:
Poor countries and households cannot afford to build water systems or buy treated water, so they rely on unsafe sources and walk long distances.
Question 15 · Spec 3.2.3.3
What happened to the Aral Sea?
Answer:
Rivers feeding it were diverted for cotton irrigation, so the sea shrank by about 90%. Fishing collapsed, dust storms increased and the climate and health of the region suffered.
Question 16 · Spec 3.2.3.3
How does water insecurity cause waterborne disease?
Answer:
Unsafe water carries bacteria and parasites that cause cholera, typhoid and diarrhoea. They kill hundreds of thousands of people each year, especially children.
Question 17 · Spec 3.2.3.3
How does water insecurity cause water pollution?
Answer:
With limited clean water, people use polluted rivers for washing and drinking, and untreated waste goes back into water sources.
Question 18 · Spec 3.2.3.3
How does water insecurity affect food production?
Answer:
Farmers cannot irrigate crops or water livestock, so yields fall, food becomes scarcer and prices rise.
Question 19 · Spec 3.2.3.3
How does water insecurity affect industrial output?
Answer:
Factories and power stations need water for processing and cooling. Shortages reduce production, jobs and economic growth.
Question 20 · Spec 3.2.3.3
How can water insecurity lead to conflict?
Answer:
Where demand exceeds supply, countries or groups compete for shared rivers and aquifers, e.g. disputes over the Nile, Tigris-Euphrates and Indus.
Question 21 · Spec 3.2.3.3
What is the dispute over the Nile?
Answer:
Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile worries downstream Egypt and Sudan, which rely on the river for water and farming.
Question 22 · Spec 3.2.3.3
Give an overview of strategies to increase water supply.
Answer:
Diverting supplies and increasing storage with dams and reservoirs, water transfers, and desalination. Large schemes can have both advantages and disadvantages.
Question 23 · Spec 3.2.3.3
How do dams and reservoirs increase water supply?
Answer:
A dam across a river stores water in a reservoir for use in dry periods, controls floods and often generates hydroelectric power.
Question 24 · Spec 3.2.3.3
What are the advantages and disadvantages of dams and reservoirs?
Answer:
Advantages: reliable water, power and flood control. Disadvantages: very costly, flood land and homes, trap sediment, affect fish and reduce flow downstream.
Question 25 · Spec 3.2.3.3
What is a water transfer?
Answer:
Moving water from an area of surplus to an area of deficit through pipelines, canals or tunnels, sometimes over very long distances.
Question 26 · Spec 3.2.3.3
What is desalination?
Answer:
Removing salt from sea water to make fresh water, usually by reverse osmosis (forcing water through a membrane) or by distillation.
Question 27 · Spec 3.2.3.3
What are the advantages and disadvantages of desalination?
Answer:
Advantages: unlimited supply near the coast and independent of rainfall. Disadvantages: very high energy use and cost, carbon emissions and brine that can harm marine life.
Question 28 · Spec 3.2.3.3
Where is desalination used?
Answer:
Dry, wealthy countries such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Israel and Spain, and by London's Beckton plant, the UK's first large desalination works.
Question 29 · Spec 3.2.3.3
Large-scale water transfer: what is the Lesotho Highlands Water Project?
Answer:
A scheme with dams and tunnels in the Lesotho mountains that diverts water to Gauteng in South Africa, the country's economic heartland, and generates electricity for Lesotho.
Question 30 · Spec 3.2.3.3
What are the main features of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project?
Answer:
Katse Dam (1996) and Mohale Dam (2002), long tunnels carrying water to the Ash and Vaal rivers, and the Muela hydropower station. Phase 2 (Polihali Dam) is under construction.
Question 31 · Spec 3.2.3.3
What are the benefits for Lesotho?
Answer:
Royalties from selling water, hydroelectric power that provides most of its electricity, jobs during construction and improved roads.
Question 32 · Spec 3.2.3.3
What are the benefits for South Africa?
Answer:
A reliable supply of water for millions of people and industries in Gauteng, helping the economy grow and reducing the risk of shortages.
Question 33 · Spec 3.2.3.3
What are the social disadvantages of the Lesotho scheme?
Answer:
Thousands of villagers lost homes and farmland and were resettled, and some communities say compensation was inadequate.
Question 34 · Spec 3.2.3.3
What are the environmental disadvantages of the Lesotho scheme?
Answer:
Dams flood valleys, destroy habitats and cut the flow of the Senqu river downstream, affecting wildlife and local people.
Question 35 · Spec 3.2.3.3
What other disadvantages does the Lesotho scheme have?
Answer:
It cost billions to build, was marred by a corruption scandal, and Lesotho remains dependent on South Africa as its main customer.
Question 36 · Spec 3.2.3.3
Evaluate the Lesotho Highlands Water Project.
Answer:
It gives water and power to millions and brings income to Lesotho, but displaces people, harms rivers and is costly, so benefits and costs are unequally shared.
Question 37 · Spec 3.2.3.3
What does moving towards a sustainable water future involve?
Answer:
Using water more efficiently and protecting supplies through conservation, groundwater management, recycling and grey water use.
Question 38 · Spec 3.2.3.3
How can water be conserved at home?
Answer:
Fit water meters, low-flush toilets and water-saving taps, mend leaks, take shorter showers and collect rainwater for gardens.
Question 39 · Spec 3.2.3.3
How can water be conserved in farming and industry?
Answer:
Use drip irrigation and mulching, grow drought-resistant crops, and recycle process water in factories, which reduces demand.
Question 40 · Spec 3.2.3.3
What is groundwater management?
Answer:
Controlling how much water is taken from aquifers through licences and limits, recharging them, and monitoring water levels and quality.
Question 41 · Spec 3.2.3.3
What is water recycling?
Answer:
Treating waste water so that it can be used again, for industry, irrigation or even drinking, as in Singapore's NEWater.
Question 42 · Spec 3.2.3.3
What is grey water?
Answer:
Waste water from baths, sinks and washing machines that can be reused for flushing toilets or watering gardens without full treatment.
Question 43 · Spec 3.2.3.3
Local scheme in an LIC: how do sand dams supply water in Makueni, Kenya?
Answer:
A concrete wall is built across a seasonal river. Sand collects behind it and stores rainwater, which villagers reach by shallow wells.
Question 44 · Spec 3.2.3.3
What are the benefits of the Makueni water scheme?
Answer:
Reliable clean water all year, less time spent walking for water, healthier families, water for crops and livestock, and school rainwater tanks.
Question 45 · Spec 3.2.3.3
Why is the Makueni scheme sustainable?
Answer:
It is cheap, built and managed by the community with local materials, protected from evaporation and needs little maintenance or energy.
Question 46 · Spec 3.2.3.3
What are the limitations of local water schemes?
Answer:
They benefit small areas, need suitable geology and rivers, depend on local management, and may not provide enough for large populations.
Question 47 · Spec 3.2.3.3
Compare large-scale and local water schemes.
Answer:
Large transfer schemes supply millions but are costly and displace people. Local schemes are cheaper, give community control and use appropriate technology, but are small.
Question 48 · Spec 3.2.3.3
Why is clean water access important for development?
Answer:
It improves health and school attendance, frees time from collecting water, and supports farming and industry, so economic growth follows.
Question 49 · Spec 3.2.3.3
What does the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal for water aim for?
Answer:
Universal access to safe, affordable drinking water and sanitation (SDG 6), which many LICs are still far from reaching.
Question 50 · Spec 3.2.3.3
Why is water security a growing global challenge?
Answer:
Rising population and consumption, climate change, pollution and over-abstraction are increasing demand and reducing reliable supply.

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