See, Think, Wonder

Water supply problems in LICs

Key words…

Physical Water Scarcity means the natural reasons for low water supply i.e. low rainfall. Deserts, such as those in the Middle East are obvious examples of physical water scarcity

Economic Water Scarcity means the human reasons for low water supply i.e. lack of plumbing infrastructure. LEDCs such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo are an obvious example of areas with economic water scarcity because, although the Congo has no shortage of rainfall the lack of plumbing infrastructure in the Congo results in many Congolese people living without a reliable supply of fresh water.

Water issues in LICs

Lack of available water

• Rural Africa• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RujqLOpfbVs

• Urban Africa• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jYr8MFTXrM

• Why is there a lack of water in many LICs?• What issues does this create for the populations?

Water key terms

Water borne diseases• At any given time, half of the world’s hospital beds are occupied by

patients suffering from diseases associated with lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.

• The majority of the illness in the world is caused by fecal matter• 88% of cases of diarrhea worldwide are attributable to unsafe water,

inadequate sanitation or insufficient hygiene. • 90% of all deaths caused by diarrheal diseases are children under 5

years of age, mostly in developing countries. • It is estimated that improved sanitation facilities could reduce

diarrhea-related deaths in young children by more than one-third. If hygiene promotion is added, such as teaching proper hand washing, deaths could be reduced by two thirds. It would also help accelerate economic and social development in countries where sanitation is a major cause of lost work and school days because of illness.

Water born diseases

Complete research on one of the following diseases: Bilharzia, Cholera, or Typhoid, guinea worm, trachoma

Your research should cover:• How poor water supply causes it• Parts of the world that it is particularly prevalent• What impact the disease has

Water pollution: Case study the Achuar people in the Amazon

Who are the Achuar people? Where do they live?Why is their water being polluted?What impact does the pollution have?

The Achuar Tribe, Peru

It is a familiar story. Big business moves into a pristine wilderness and starts destroying the environment and by turn the livelihoods of the indigenous people who live there.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/the-achuar-tribe-of-the-amazon/7465.html

LocationOil Company Occidental

Petroleum located in the Oriente region of Ecuador.

When oil was discovered in the Amazon in 1964 oil companies began to move in at hasty rates in order to gain claims on land for development and profit.

Pollution is contaminating the larger ecosystem and sending toxins downstream to Peru.

Effects

Effects cont….• Due to the development of the Amazon Rainforest the

Achuar people’s numbers and livelihood has been declining. • As a result they have been pushed off a portion of their land• Oil spills that take place in the Achuar territory are seldom

cleaned up and if they are the oil is improperly buried below the ground.

• Major oil pipelines run above rivers that the Achuar depend on for bathing and water.

• When these oil pipelines break., which occurs often, the water pollutes the Achuar waters and they are left with no safe alternatives to drinking water

Self assessment